The Diaries of a Glam Mama

First post of 2012! (Warning: coarse language)

2012-01-11T13:30:00.003+08:00

Well, it's been 11 days since we said farewell to 2011. I don't know about you, but I'm still putting writing 2011 instead of 2012 when I write dates!

That probably has less to do with transitioning into the new year than it does with the fact that my new time-waster is making me lose sleep. I would hereby like to admit that I am completely addicted to 9Gag.

While most of the memes on there are directed towards 20something male gamer-types, from time to time there are memes that make me LOL just from a breastfeeding mama's POV. Breastfeeding memes FTW!

Hilarious, right??

In addition to those two, I was pleasantly surprised when I did my usual Sunday night tradition (reading PostSecret), where I saw this:

I was planning to do an awesomely awesome post about the new year, things I'd like to achieve in 2012, etc. But let's face it - sometimes life is best expressed in memes (like this one I just made, which you are all free to share ;D).

Do you have any memes you like? Share them in the comments!

One year later...

2011-12-28T00:41:00.000+08:00

Yesterday – 27^th December 2011 – marked one year since my divorce. This past year, I have learned so much about myself and about life in general. It has been a year of growth, of revelation, of learning to have faith, of learning to let go, and of HAPPINESS :)

On that note, I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to those who have played a role – big and small – in making this, such an amazing year.

First, I would like to thank my family. My parents, with their unbending support and unconditional love (and their free babysitting services) have been priceless to me. I truly could not have survived this year without them. Thanks, Mom, for your faith, trust, and love. Your passion, emotion, and commitment to family is contagious, and I’m glad to have been infected ;D And thanks, Dad, for your pragmatic and chillaxed approach to life. You are the yin to Mom’s yang. Together, you have shown me the true meaning of loyalty, solidarity, trust, love, commitment and strength. Your 28-year marriage (soon to be 29 on Jan 1!) has not been without challenges, but you two face them together and come out stronger, and that, I believe, is the key to a lasting relationship.

To my brother and sister-in-law, Iz and Aidah – I am constantly amazed by how loving, understanding, and passionate you are with each other, and I admire that. Iz, although we don’t see eye to eye on most things (seriously people, we agree on very few things, it’s a wonder we came from the same womb!), we know that we’ve always got each other’s back. I don’t think a lot of siblings can say that. And Aidah, I am so grateful that we share the same dress and shoe size. LOL just kidding (although really, I am glad about that). Mostly I am grateful to finally have a sister :D I imagine that our conversations with each other are what most sisters would have had their whole lives, and while I wish we could have been sisters all our lives, when it comes to your existence in my life, I say “better late than never”.

To Aidah’s parents (AKA my brother’s parents-in-law AKA my surrogate parents AKA my kids’ surrogate grandparents), Aunty Azra and Uncle Shukri. You have both given so much love, time, and affection, to my children and I. I am so grateful to have you in our lives, and to be able to call you family! Weekends without seeing you are simple weekends that are incomplete :D Such a wonderful, loving, generous couple - it truly is a pleasure to know you both.

To my extended family – my cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces. Thank you for never judging me! You have NO IDEA how much this has helped me heal. Our family has had a dramatic few years, but for some reason, it has never tainted our get-togethers. I look to you all as inspiration for how a family should be – although we can’t see each other always, we know that we can count on each other when it matters.

To my soulmate, Syan. Who knew, that in closing one of the most painful chapters of my life, I would enter one of the happiest? Your faith, support, patience, and love has been a driving force for me to achieve everything I’ve achieved this year. You make me so happy, and you remind me to slow down to smell the roses. Your creative energy inspires me constantly. Heck, YOU inspire me constantly! It makes me so happy that the children love you as much as I do – and that you love them as much I do. I look forward to more years together – the four of us and maybe more ;)

Next, I give thanks to my “soul sistas” – we may not be technically related, but if friends are the family you choose, then dammit I have chosen some fantastic sisters for myself!

Maria, your enthusiasm and optimism reminds me to have faith that everything will work out in the end. We’ve known each other from the time we were schoolgirls, and now we are pretending to be grown-ups together ;D It’s fantastic.

Su-Ren, I appreciate your honesty and the fact that you are ALWAYS there for me…I wish I could say I have done the same, but I can’t, and for that I apologize. I can only hope that I can make it up to you in the coming years. Your sharp sense of humor belies the incredibly loving soul inside…I’m glad to know the latter.

Suri, you are one of the kindest souls I have ever had the privilege to meet, and yet you are also one of the strongest! I have so much admiration for you, and I hope you know that. I miss laughing…err, I mean, working…with you! Getting to know you has been such a joy.

Emelda, your sage advice and sassiness never fails to make me smile. These past couple of years we rekindled a friendship that was lost in the years following high school, and though I regret the “lost” years, I am so glad to have you in my life again now.

Fardia, you are my inspiration. This past year had been particularly challenging for you, and to see you go through the experience of caring for a sick child with such grace, strength and faith, AND care for three other children (and also that eldest baby AKA Amir)…it shows just what a gem you are. I share in your joy and relief following the news of Adam’s remission :D

And to my Sisterhood of Bunnies – Elly, Farid, Hanim, Ito, Jaja, Liz, Nadh, and Syaz – I love you gals, really. You have brought light into otherwise dark days, brought laughter in the midst of my tears, brought clarity in times of confusion. We come from many walks of life, and we are each so different, but somehow the dynamics just…work. I cannot thank you all enough for everything that our friendship has done for me! Our kids are growing up together, and I love all of your kids like I do mine…ours is a very special kind of friendship, the kind that will transcend generations, I just know it. May we be “hoppy” always ;D

Facebook and Twitter are strange worlds – they have provided me with support from the most unexpected sources! Thank you to the friends, acquaintances and even complete strangers who have sent me messages of support this past year. Knowing that my children and I have come into your thoughts for even just a second, gives me strength.

Here I’d also like to thank the single mothers or former single mothers who have inspired me – Kak Mas, Aunty Milah, Aunty Laila, Kimora (seriously tho), Kate Gosselin, Sandra Bullock, and a slew of others I can’t think of right now. You have all handled single motherhood with such grace – I can only hope I can reflect that grace in my own journey.

To my students, who are also a source of inspiration for me. You make my job feel like it isn’t a job at all. I don’t think I can ever fully explain how much joy teaching you gives me :) And to my bosses and colleagues – we are a special bunch for doing what we do, and I have so much respect and admiration for you.

To the folks at Orphancare – thank you for letting me be a part of Orphancare. Each time I volunteer, I am overwhelmed with sheer happiness. What you are doing is AMAZING! To the babies whom I have fed, changed, and cuddled each time I’m there – I hope that for at least those moments that you spend with your Mama Adrin, you feel loved and cherished…and I hope that you continue to feel that way as you enter your forever families :D Please know that caring for you is an absolute treat, and I will never ever forget each and every one of you.

Also, I have not forgotten my fantastic babysitters! These are the girls who take care of my boys when neither my parents or I are able to – Edura, Hanis, Nina, Chacha, and Bee. You have all become a part of our family – our boys are very lucky to have such a great bunch of girls who love them so much ;D Same goes to the folks at Aqil’s school – all the teachers have done a great job with him, and both he and I feel right at home when we are there :D Thanks also, for my “frequent face” award *LOL* Oh, and I can’t forget Lesley, our fantastic housemaid who is such a great help, and a wonderful soul.

To my (currently on indefinite hiatus) band, The Casual Passengers. Our time together is pure joy – y’all are an awesome bunch of guys and its such a pleasure to work with you. Penang was DOPE.

I would also like to (surprisingly, I am sure most of you might feel) thank my ex-husband Farhan and his new partner Sinta, as well as Sinta’s two daughters. Farhan, we have had a lot of conflict in the time we have known each other, but as co-parents, we have remained civil and have always managed to put the kids’ happiness first. Sinta, during the times where my children spent time with you, they had nothing but pleasant experiences, and I am glad for that. I should also thank Sinta’s parents, who are, coincidentally, close family friends of ours, who have helped care for my boys when they have visited.

Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank my two sons, Aqil Arfan and Afraz Alman. You two are the loves of my lives. Aqil, with your compassion, affection and intellect, and Afraz, with your zest for life, “carpe diem” attitude and sense of humor…you two never fail to amaze me. I am SO PROUD of the both of you, and so GRATEFUL that I get to see you grow. The truth is, there have been days where the two of you are the only reason I am grateful to be alive. I love you both so so so much…you both mean everything to me. I am so privileged to be your mother.

And with that, I would like to now thank…myself. Adriana, this past year has taught lessons that you would not have learned otherwise. Thank you for learning to love yourself, and learning that it is okay to ask for help when you need it. Take this as a reminder to love unconditionally, to have faith in the people you love, to be grateful always and to try and spend more time with those who matter. Stay strong, stay glam ;)

So, 2012: Bring it on!

Such an inspiration :)

2011-12-17T16:17:00.000+08:00

The last time I saw or heard of Muhammad Zhariff was when he tried out for a reality singing show...I think it was Malaysian Idol? Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a picture of him in a copy of today's Berita Harian (it was totally by chance - I don't even read this paper usually).

Muhammad Zhariff was born without arms. And yet he has found a way to lead an fulfilling life - by anyone's standards! He has a degree, he has studied overseas, he has worked with various NGOs for years and he now runs his own company. I know many able-bodied 30-year-olds who haven't achieved even half of what he has! Heck, I don't think I'd be able to say I'd achieve that much when I'm 30!

What's most inspirational about him, though, is not his achievements. While that is admirable, the quality that jumped out at me from the TV screen the first time I saw him, and today again in the newspaper, is his perpetual optimism. This guy is tirelessly positive! He hasn't let any of his perceived "shortcomings" become an excuse for failure.

We're all prone to bouts of self-pity every once in a while (I've just had a week of that, thanks to a particularly nasty bout of respiratory infection), but when we are exposed to the successes, dedication and unending positivity of people like Muhammad Zhariff...well, what excuse do we have not to do everything we dream of doing?

What I am trying to say, in a nutshell, is that we always need to stay vigilant...never take our blessings for granted, and never let our shortcomings get in the way of fulfilling our full potential. Let's try to live every day with these thoughts in our head, and hopefully our kids can be a generation of people with this kind of attitude ingrained in them.

(P.S: You can read Muhammad Zhariff's story here.)

Sock bun curls - using baby leggings!

2011-12-15T14:23:00.002+08:00

Ok, so the world of Pinterest has been booming with pictures and how-to’s for the sock bun curls (some examples are here and here). I had some free time (read: was terribly ill and had to stay home) for the past couple of days, so I thought I’d try it out!

1. You know those baby leggings that you use on your kids, like this?

Well, that’s what I used! The instructions on the links required that you cut out the toe end of a sock, basically making it an elastic tube, and then rolling it up so that it looks like a scrunchie. Using a legging just means one less step. (I turned the legging inside out so that the cute print is visible, so that's why it's optional - doesn't make a difference to the outcome.)

2. I put my hair in a sock bun while it was damp, not wet. So towel-dry your hair or let it air-dry for about half an hour before you put it in a sock bun.

3. You could also use a curl-enhancing serum of some kind before you put it in a sock bun – this is what I did when I tried it a second time, and my curls lasted longer.

4. Leave the sock bun on overnight and wake up to effortless curls! To make sure the bun stays put while you toss and turn as you dream of going on vacation with Ryan Gosling (What? Of course that's not what I dream of...no way...nu-uh...*awkward cough*), put a second rolled-up-legging around the bun.

I personally prefer the result after a couple of days. The curls were way too floofy right after (in my universe, that is indeed a word). I gave it a day and it settled down into more natural looking curls. I seriously love this method of curling hair now! So incredibly easy!

Soap & Glory...A girl's best friend [[my first post as star blogger for ShopShip!]]

2011-12-14T20:30:00.000+08:00

At a meet-up with friends a couple of years ago, the hot topic was makeup. That’s where I learned about Soap & Glory, a fantastic UK brand which had unique items at affordable prices and (a point that makes it extra attractive) cute names for its products.

Case in point: The Sexy Mother Pucker. This was the product that my friend had shown me which got me hooked on Soap & Glory. Hilarious name aside, this product really works to moisturize and plump up lips. The tingly burning sensation may be too much for some, so those who are sensitive could start off with the regular-strength Mother Pucker glosses. But for those who can stand the heat, it’s the Sexy Mother Pucker XL for us! You can layer it under or over your regular lipstick, or wear it on its own for a Sexy natural sheen…

Or you could use it together with Marvelips! This lip pencil & highlighter pencil comes in a neutral rosy shade that is flattering for pretty much all skin tones. It’s really easy to use – just use the colored end to fill in your lips, and dab the highlighter end at the middle of your lower lips and on your cupid bows (trust me on this one – it’ll make your lips looks really pouty and sexy ;D).

Another product that I now can’t live without is the Arch De Triumph. I’m a stickler for well-groomed eyebrows (it keeps your look polished, dontcha know?), and this product is such an easy way to achieve a natural groomed look. Just used the subtle taupe-colored end to fill in your eyebrows and the highlighter end along the bottom of your eyebrow arch. Blend, blend, blend, and then thank me for letting you know about this awesome product. (You’re welcome)

Luscious lips and neat eyebrows can’t distract people from noticing one’s dark under-eye circles, though. That’s where Trick And Treatment comes in! This multi-purpose concealer (it’s a quick-fix cover-up AND long-term dark circle corrector!) is creamy, so it blends really well. Dot it under your eyes and blend – you’ll see a difference immediately!

And last but not least, I want to talk about the magic of Hocus Focus (Ha! Geddit? Magic? Hocus Pocus? Hocus Fo… ok I’ll stop now). This product is touted as an “instant visual flaw-softening lotion”, and while it is that, it is also a great highlighter and makeup base! The way I use it is to mix it in with my BB cream or moisturizer for a natural, glowing, JLo-ish base. Then I add on those fantastic eyebrows, zap off those under-eye circles and pucker up my pout, and I’m all glammed up, Soap & Glory style!

You can get these wonderful products from Soap & Glory through ShopShip, an amazing personal shopper service that allows you to order items from the UK and have them sent to your doorstep in Malaysia - especially useful if you want to order from a company that doesn't ship here. All you have to do is:

Look for your favourite items
Fill in their order form - downloadable from www.shopship.co.uk
Pay via MEPS Bank Transfer or Credit Card
Done! Your goods will be delivered to you.

Don't forget to check out their blog at http://www.shopshipuk.blogspot.com to check out other recommended items, and "like" their http://www.facebook.com/shopship for updates on ShopShip. Enjoy!

I'm gonna be a guest blogger for ShopShip UK :D

2011-12-14T16:36:00.000+08:00

ShopShip UK is a unique new personal shopper service that allows you to shop for things in UK and have them sent to you, wherever you are in the world - and I am very proud to be called a guest blogger for their blog! I'm joining the likes of Mia Suraya in promoting items from UK retailers that we feel our audiences would like, that either don't ship internationally or charges a bomb for shipping.

So, why use ShopShip? Well, I don't think I could have said it any better than what they say on their website!

Its FREE. We don't charge you anything for our service. You pay for your items and shipping. Thats it!
Save money. Many brand items are cheaper here than back home, not forgetting the year round promos.
Variety. Designs, sizes, collections – The product ranges here are wide.
Exclusivity. Stand out with the latest of everything available only to the UK.
Speed. Have your items with you in three working days.
Service. ShopShip is #1 for Customer Love. You don’t deal with robots. You deal with us.

I'm so looking forward to recommending new, useful, GLAM products to y'all! Be sure to let me know if you find particularly awesome gems that I failed to catch with my (old, old) eyes k? And don't forget to follow the ShopShip blog at http://shopshipuk.blogspot.com for more product recommendations, and "LIKE" their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/shopshipuk for frequent updates on their latest promotions! As a matter of fact, they are having a FREE SHIPPING promotion going on right now - do check out the ShopShip website for more information! Enjoy :D

Inspiration on the Web

2011-11-24T15:54:00.000+08:00

Well...it's certainly been a while, huh? (I've gotta stop starting my posts with variations of this phrase!). Life has been beyond hectic, what with working, studying, and raising my boys. No time to blog in the midst of the chaos!

But when I do find time to wind down, I love to check out a few favorite websites. Blogger is, of course, one of them ;) But here are a couple of treasures that I look to for eye candy and inspiration!

Pinterest

The concept is simple - think of it as a virtual inspiration board that you can add on to anytime, share with the public, and refer to when you need it. You can create multiple boards too - I have a few boards for fashion, hair&beauty, and home decor ideas. Other ideas for boards that I've seen are wedding, baby, pregnancy, and a bunch of other stuff. You can find my Pinterest profile here.

Lookbook
I have stacks of fashion magazines just waiting for me to flip through their pages, but unfortunately, I rarely have the luxury of sitting down in a comfy chair, a hot chai latte nearby as I leisurely read the latest issue of Style:, HerWorld, Marie Claire, InStyle or Cleo (because surely that is the only way to read my favorite mags!). So what do I do to get a quick dose of fashion inspiration? Lookbook!

Think of it as Facebook, but to show off your daily outfits. You could post a look each day, or just whenever you feel your look is Lookbook-worthy, like I do ;) I do visit every day though, regardless of whether I'm posting a look or not.

Sometimes mamas get in a fashion rut because we find what looks good, is comfortable, and we stick to it. A place like Lookbook is a great way to get inspired. Obviously, not all of us look good in short shorts and 7" platform heels, but we can take some style notes and adapt them to our lifestyle.

I find myself making more of an effort in putting together something that makes me look good and feel good, regardless of whether I'm Lookbook-ing my look that day or not ;) The very few looks I've posted can be found here.

Glamour Magazine UK

I started becoming hooked to this website when I found out it was one of the few non-work websites that my office didn't block ;p Since then, I have found myself getting lost in the Fashion and Beauty pages on the website. The content is attractively laid out, easy to navigate, and is chockful of fashion eye candy! Absolutely lovely, and worth a visit.

Etsy

How could I miss out on Etsy? Back when I was in the US, I'd receive at least one package a week from Etsy sellers. Etsy is the #1 source for all things hand-made, and if you click on their "Discover: Fashion" section, you'll get to ogle lots of cute trinkets, clothes, accessories and various other pretty pretty things!

Before I go, I'd like to waive any liability for the hours you will be spending on these sites! ;D Have fun!

Hey awesome French lady nursing on the LRT!

2011-08-07T16:50:00.001+08:00

Dear gorgeous French lady sitting in front of me,

I LOVE YOU. Like, really. Your walking, talking, ADORABLE toddler asked for your milk, and you took your chic green scarf and covered up a little, and promptly latched her on.

You smiled at me as I (over)enthusiastically point toward my t-shirt that has a Tandem Nursing logo on it.

You ignored the giggling college-aged girls beside you.

You chit-chat with your husband, who is, by extension also awesome.

You are AWESOME and got me super-psyched as I am, coincidentally, on the way to the Nurse-In Protest at KLCC!

Thank you, for the bottom of my heart, for doing what you do.

Love,
Crazy lady grinning stupidly in front of you

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Recovery + a music video!

2011-06-06T12:46:00.002+08:00

Hi all! First of all, let me just say I am recovering really well :) The surgery went without a hitch (although I was apprehensive when The Band Perry's "If I Die Young" started playing right before I went under). Frankly, three days post-surgery, I can honestly say that taking my wisdom tooth out involved more pain during recovery. My biggest complaint thus far has been that I can't eat my favorite foods and I can't speak much (for some reason, my loved ones are rejoicing...gee, wonder why...). Don't worry though, I'm getting them back - my bad breath has to go somewhere, right??

Anyhoo, I received a wonderful surprise today courtesy of Adzim Shahabudin, the lovely director of that short film I was in. His band Disember has recorded a song - the original soundtrack for our movie Luluh, if you will - and used shots from the film for the music video :D I'm ashamed to say, however, that I have yet to watch Luluh in its entirety *blush* I haven't had time to pick it up ok! So that'll be on my to-do list once I'm fully recovered.

For now, enjoy the music video for Disember's "Meranduk"!

Tonsillectomy :o

2011-06-02T16:55:00.002+08:00

Guess what? I'm going in for a tonsillectomy tomorrow :( I've been suffering from tonsillitis my whole life, and over the years, doctors have recommended that I remove my tonsils, but I always put it off. This time I have no excuse, however - I'm no longer breastfeeding, my kids can be without me overnight, and (more important when it comes to timing), I'm on break for work and school for the next few weeks.

I am really really really nervous. I've never had to stay in the hospital for anything other than childbirth, and at least those times I'd get a cute baby at the end of all the pain. This time, the reward is not so clear...and all I can think of is the apparently horrible recovery process D: Anyway, wish me luck!

* This self-pity post is brought to you by many days without enough sleep due to nightmares about the surgery.

** Also, this will be my last post written with my tonsils intact. Hahahahahaha.

New books! So excited!!

2011-05-20T16:22:00.003+08:00

I am jumping all over the place - the huge shipment of books I ordered from Amazon has arrived! See, if I'm not mucking about with my boys, I am either (a) working, (b) knitting, (c) doing something on my phone (most likely Tweeting or Angry Birds or Tweeting about Angry Birds) or (d) reading. That last one has been my hobby of choice for the past week as I've not been feeling well and didn't feel like moving much. Hence, my days have been filled by lying on the couch reading book after book after book.

I usually get my fiction and knitting books from Book Xcess (remind me to blog about this fabulous place soon please), but as I start preparing for my Masters thesis, I've developed the need for other types of books (which are also, quite deliberately, not textbooks), which accounts for this lovely mix of tongue-in-cheek mommy-type books and books about breastfeeding (from an academic/analytical/anthropological/political/cultural point-of-view, mind you. At this stage in my life, I don't really need any more how-to books, haha). Also thrown in there are wonderful children's books about babywearing :)

Clockwise from bottom left:

1. Carry me (Babies Everywhere)

2. Fresh Milk: The Secret Life of Breasts by Fiona Giles <--- What I wouldn't give to have this woman as my PhD advisor...

3. My Mother Wears Combat Boots: A Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us by Jessica Mills

4. The Hot Mom's Handbook: Laugh and Feel Great from Playdate to Date Night... by Jessica Denay

5. Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding by Naomi Baumslag M.D. M.P.H., Dia L. Michel

6. A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying around the World by Emery Bernhard, Durga Bernhard

7. Porn for New Moms: From the Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative by Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative, Susan Anderson

8. The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts are Bad for Business by Gabrielle Palmer

I can't wait to start on these books!!! -- end nerd rant --

Dynas' new maternity and nursing wear collection - store opening next Wednesday!

2011-05-20T11:44:00.000+08:00

Remember how I mentioned in a previous post that Dynas Mokthar is opening a new nursing and maternity wear store? Well it's opening next Wednesday! I'm pretty excited to see how far DNA (Dynas Nursing Attire) goes. I've seen some of the pieces in the collection, and she definitely has some really nice nursing and maternity wear to offer Malaysian mamas! Maternity and nursing wear is such a niche market, and not a lot of vendors cater to us, so I am pretty psyched about this.

I'm tellin' ya, up until Afraz weaned a couple of months ago, I practically LIVED in nursing wear! Think I'm exaggerating? Well, let's just say there are a few nursing wear vendors who know me personally at this point, that's how often I buy from them *blush* Anyhoo, now anytime any new vendors come up on my radar, I make sure to beep it out to as many mamas as I can.

I know for a fact that one of the biggest challenges in breastfeeding is developing the ability to nurse discreetly in public. Fact is, babies aren't so keen on waiting for their mamas to reach the nursing room in order to nurse. Whenever hungry babies cry, they are saying the same thing: "I want nenen NOW!!!". That's where nursing wear comes in - it allows for discreet breastfeeding on the go. Pair that with breastfeeding while babywearing, and nursing in public becomes an absolute breeze! Trust me on this - I wouldn't have been able to nurse as long as I had, and have so much fun doing it, if I didn't have these tools at my disposal!

But of course, now that I'm no longer breastfeeding, more cute nursing clothes have come up. Sigh. Well if y'all are free next Wednesday, they are having a special store opening sale from 5pm to 9.30pm, so be sure to check it out. I'll be there at some point in the evening, so if you see me, come say hi!

Malaysian Babywearers at the Mom & Baby Expo

2011-05-19T19:02:00.002+08:00

At the Mom & Baby Expo on May 7, I hosted a "babywearing show" and short talk along with the gorgeous moms and babies of Malaysian Babywearers. Here are videos from that day!

Part 1 of 6

Part 2 of 6

Part 3 of 6

Part 4 of 6

Part 5 of 6

Part 6 of 6

I would like to thank all the mamas who took the time to come so early on a Saturday to help model and demonstrate the different carriers. I had a blast, as usual, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the babywearing parents walking around the expo! Definitely makes all the hard work we have put into the organization worthwhile :D I can't tell you how happy it makes me feel to see babywearing enter "mainstream" parenting circles.

P.S: If you're interested in having me conduct a babywearing talk and demonstration for your event or organization, feel free to contact me ;)

Horlicks Advertorial, GCDC, meeting fellow glam mamas, and a newcomer!

2011-05-02T17:12:00.006+08:00

Wow. Between the Royal Wedding & Osama's death, it's been a pretty crazy news week! I've got a small bit of news of myself to share: Aqil and I are in Female and Shape magazine!

We did the shoot several weeks ago. It's an advertorial for Horlicks (yum). It was Aqil's first shoot, and he was such a ham throughout! He charmed everyone, and I truly believe he thinks that the cookies and candies he got after the shoot, was payment for his services. Thanks to Azzura and the rest of the team for making us feel right at home, and thanks to my cousin Aiina, the one who tagged me on FB and thereby alert me to the fact that the ad was published!

Speaking of photoshoots, I had the great fortune of meeting Dynas Mokhtar - supermodel and celeb mom - at the Great Cloth Diaper Change bazaar a couple of weeks ago. Not only is she really nice, but she has fully breastfed her 1-year-old daughter, and will soon be opening a nursing-and-maternity wear line and store at The Curve. I'm very excited about this! If she's not the definition of a glam mama, I don't know who is! (Thanks Intan for the pic!)

Do check Hanz' blog and Cloth Diaper Malaysia for more updates and photos from the Great Cloth Diaper Change events. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the team for inviting me to such a well-organized and significant event. If anyone else is interested in having me over at your event on behalf of Malaysian Babywearers, don't hesitate to contact me :D

In addition to all this, yesterday (May 1, 2011) the world welcomed a newcomer - my cousin Aizat and his wife Lynn had their new baby boy (my cousin-nephew), Mohammad Dany Darwisy! Congratulations to them both!

To work or not to work? None of your damn business ;)

2011-03-28T00:52:00.000+08:00

So, in the few years that I've been a mother, I have been a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom and a work-out-of home mom (not using acronyms here in case non-tech-savvy mamas come across this). Under all circumstances, the decision to change my role was mostly, if not fully, mine. And each time, all things considered, it was the right thing to do.

However, you'd be surprised by how much flak I got from all sides each time I changed my role!!!

When I decided to stay at home to care for my children, people were quick to point out that:

"Rugi" (translated: what a waste! --I'm assuming they mean it's a waste because I have a degree from overseas)
I was not contributing to society (nevermind that I was trying to raise two men)
I was freeloading off my now-ex-husband (could not be FURTHER from the truth...'nuff said)

After my kids were bigger, I decided to try my hand at being a work-at-home mother. I was a freelance writer for some time, and did some graphic design for friends and family. Some of the things some people felt the need to point out were:

I spent so much time on the computer, and yet earned so little (yes, it's true, but money wasn't the main reason for me working at this point - I enjoyed the compromise of being able to raise my kids myself, and earning a little pocket money.)
There are no long-term prospects or career development (uh...except that writing is always great for career development, especially when one plans on pursuing a doctorate and eventually teaching full-time!)

Then, due to circumstances that were out of my control, I had to find employment outside the home. It was not a happy time in my life, but knowing that I was to soon become a single mother, I knew I had to do it. But those who did not know the whole story, said things like:

See, we told you being a full-time stay-at-home mother was no good - it's not stimulating enough/you get bored/your boys would be fine/you're better off having a career for yourself (this was hurtful regardless of the justification - anyone who knows me well would know that I LOVE being a stay-at-home mother!!!)
Your kids need you, and your parents/husband can support you financially. Why work?? (I am aware that my kids need me, and I would love to be at home full-time, but at that time, I had no choice but to work...also, I am not the type to freeload off my parents, regardless of how "loaded" they are. Anyone who assumes otherwise clearly does NOT know me at all!)

As you can see, nothing one ever does can make everyone happy. All one can do is to follow their instincts and do what they feel is right for themselves and their chilren, and be happy with that. If I were to give a damn what other people think, I would never be able to find peace in my decisions. But I refuse to live a life riddled with regret just because I am trying to fulfill other people's expectations. "Those who matter don't care, and those who care don't matter" -- Dr. Seuss.

Another thing I would like to point out is: true feminism is the ability for women to have FREEDOM OF CHOICE in making decisions in regard to their career and family. Those who have the extreme view that "feminism = domesticity" or "feminism = career" need to analyze their reasoning, and their motivations.

Did any of you notice, though, that one thing remains constant regardless of one's status as a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom and a work-out-of home mom? The word MOM. No matter what a mother decides to do with her time, she is still a MOTHER. And, as women, I think now's the time to be fully tolerant, empathic, and respectful of other mother's decisions. Why not try this new idea? "Feminism = support, respect and tolerance". Feels better, no?

Hello again! Sorry I've been MIA...I've a good reason, I swear :)

2011-03-18T11:28:00.000+08:00

I know it's been a long (looooooooong) while since I last updated this blog. I hope y'all can forgive me. My life has been through a few major changes since my last update, and I needed to take a breather from blogging to focus on life for a bit.

I'm now a single (still glam, though considerably more tired) mama. The divorce has been a blessing for us all, which was not something I expected really. What's most important is that everybody's focus has been on ensuring the kids happiness. A really important positive factor in all this is that there was minimal adjustment to their everyday life. Their father had been working overseas for about a year prior, so they were used to his absence. As a matter of fact, they now get to see him more often than they used to, so it has been a bittersweet event in all our lives.

Let this not appear to be my condoning of the dissolution of a marriage. I wouldn't wish it on anyone! But it was the right thing to do in our situation, and I am glad that we came to the decision together. All I can hope for is that we continue to put the kids first :)

I know many are curious to know what happened, but I don't think my blog is the right avenue to express it (and truly, how do you compress the breakdown of a marriage into a blog post???). That being said, I would gladly and openly speak about it if I were to meet you in person. After all, I think anyone who has read my blog would notice that I am not the type to share the intimate details of my daily life...in fact, this blog has been mostly about sharing experiences from the viewpoint of a mom, and I promise that won't change.

I guess what I am trying to say is:
a. I am well and happy, and by extension, I believe so are the kids
b. I look forward to blogging more often
c. I have missed you all so much!

Look forward to writing more soon. Till then, many thanks and blessings to all who have been there for me through this chaotic time in my life. I couldn't have survived it without you!

Babywearing Tutorial: Breastfeeding in a Back Carry (Pic-Heavy!)

2010-08-09T08:02:00.000+08:00

As promised, here is a step-by-step tutorial on How To Breastfeed While Wearing Your Baby in A Back Carry! Or, put simply, just Breastfeeding in a Back Carry ;)

Note:
*** I am assuming that before attempting this, you are already comfortable with carrying your baby on your back with your chosen carrier. As with all babywearing techniques, make sure you practice in a safe environment, preferably in front of a mirror. Practice caution and common sense in executing this technique - if at anytime you or your baby feel uncomfortable, stop and try again another time.

1. Make sure you have a baby who really wants to be worn, and is hungry for nenen.

2. Get said baby in a back carry. I used the superman toss to get him on my back and pulled the pre-buckled SSC straps on like a backpack (thanks, Elly, for that video tutorial!).

3. Pull one of the carrier's straps off your shoulder like you would with a backpack strap. The strap that you pull off depends on which side you plan to nurse baby - if you're planning to latch baby on right breast, pull off right strap (like I did in this tutorial).

4. As soon as the strap is off your shoulder, grab hold of your baby's hand. This ensures that your baby is secure and won't fall off your back. It will also help with Step 5.

5. Pull your baby into a football hold, while simultaneously bouncing the carrier so that baby's bottom rests a little more on your hips.

6. Latch baby on! As with most techniques of breastfeeding while babywearing, I highly advice you wear a nursing top or any kind of attire that has nursing access from the top or empire line (under the bust - like the nursing top I am wearing here).

7. Take pics of your success!

8. When done nursing, adjust baby back into upright position.

9. Get baby back...on your back.

10. Take family pics until baby falls asleep milk-drunk on your back ;)

I hope that this tutorial is clear! Its my first time doing a picture tutorial, so I hope I got the message across :/ FYI, the carrier used in this tutorial is my generous friend, Sanaa's, Raspberry Ellipsen SSC. So gorgeous and comfy, I wish I could keep it forever!

If you try out this technique based on this tutorial, do let me know in the comments. And take pics! :D

Breastfeeding while Babywearing - in a Back Carry! Must See!

2010-08-08T12:01:00.000+08:00

OK, so in my last post, I mentioned that I found something during my research for breastfeeding while babywearing, that is a true must-see. Well, HERE it is.

Basically it’s a tutorial on how to breastfeed while wearing your baby…in a back carry! I don’t know about you, but I never even considered the notion until I saw that site! And of course, always up to a new challenge, I immediately wanted to try it out. And here are a few pics as proof of my success:

Breastfeeding in a Back Carry - Mei Tai

Breastfeeding in a Back Carry - Liza's SSC, on loan to me :)

Breastfeeding in a Back Carry - Sanaa's Raspberry Ellipsen SSC,
on TT with my Maruyama (this one is so gorgeous in IRL!)

My “review” of this technique:

It was easier than I thought it would be. As with most babywearing techniques, it took me about two tries to get comfortable with it.
It is not an entirely hands-free way of breastfeeding in a carrier. I had to use one hand to hold Afraz’ head, as he ended up in a football hold.
This is not a very discreet way of nursing in public. With some more practice, I might be able to figure out a way to make it more discreet, I suppose. But every time I tried it, it looked really obvious that I was breastfeeding.
The trickiest part was getting the carrier back on after I was done breastfeeding. I had to look for the strap again, put it back on, bounce a little to get Afraz situated properly. So that part needs a bit more practice.

My aim now is to be able to do this in all two-shoulder carriers (for one-shoulder carriers like pouches and ring slings, it is easy to get your baby from a back carry to a front carry to breastfeed). I’ve tried the mei tai and SSC, so next on the list are wraps :D

I will do a picture tutorial soon, once I can get someone to take pics of me doing it. Frankly, the only time I would nurse in a back carry is if I was alone at home, so I don't know how I'll go about doing that! Maybe if I got off my butt and looked for the camera remote...or someone volunteered to take pics for me...hehehe...

Babywearing at Fiesta Kajang

2010-08-07T16:35:00.000+08:00

First of all, sorry for not blogging so long! The past few weeks have been all about work, work, kids, work, work, aaaand... work. So I didn’t have a lot to blog about!

However, last weekend, in a pleasant break from my routine, I had the privilege of giving a talk on behalf of Malaysian Babywearers in conjunction with the launch of World Breastfeeding Week at Fiesta Kajang. Thanks to SusuIbu for inviting us! Since it was for World Breastfeeding Week, I figured I would talk about Breastfeeding While Babywearing :D

As usual, I enjoyed educating people about the joys of babywearing. But this time it was extra special because I got to combine two things I’m passionate about – babywearing AND breastfeeding. I started off with a brief into about babywearing, and the benefits of breastfeeding while babywearing (more on that later). Then onto the fun part – the demonstrations of techniques for breastfeeding while babywearing, by the lovely babywearing mothers of Malaysian Babywearers!

Thanks to all the volunteers who were there! It was really really really hot, I sped through the talk so that the babies didn't get too cranky. The moms were such sports, though. They were all open to mock-breastfeed in their carriers onstage :) Speaking of breastfeeding while babywearing….during my research for the talk, I came across an interesting link. I will be blogging about that link soon, and believe me, you will want to know about it! ;D Till then, have a glamorous day!

WAHM Workshop with MamaFiza!

2010-07-08T20:04:00.000+08:00

I spent last Saturday morning being cooped up in a roomful of mamas…and I loved it! I was at the WAHM workshop by MamaFiza of LittleKittle. It was held at Vistana Hotel, off Jalan Ipoh, from 9am onwards on July 3rd, and the sheer amount of information and FUN I had there was worth getting up in the morning on a Saturday ;D

I had such a great time meeting like-minded mamas! And of course, learning more about being a WAHM was the best thing about the workshop. There were quite a few mamas there with online businesses, working from home. Even though I am now a PTWM, I would love to be able to do something I love from home. Some of the mamas I met are FTWM and also at-home entrepreneurs! I have so much admiration for these women, I can’t even find the words to express it (and y’all know how rare that is for this chatterbox!). There were even some young teenagers there, eager to learn about it. I only wish I had the same sense of passion and entrepreneurship of those young ladies when I was their age!

At the workshop, I learned about the basics of maintaining an online business, the significance of time (and resource!) organization, networking (I have a slight obsession with social media so this was particularly fun), and also the importance of setting up a designated work station. That last bit will be much easier to work on when we move into our own place and I have more space to myself to set something up from scratch!

I’m juggling a few things already, as you know, but I look forward to adding an online business into the mix. I won’t be selling products, per se, but my website (coming soon, hopefully!) will basically sell…well, me! I am in the process of writing a book (if only I could write in my sleep…) and I am still keen on conducting talks about the things I am passionate about (if you are a regular reader, you know what those are!). So, for now, that’s all I am looking to “sell”. But I will definitely like to add on more tangible products in the future which are, again, related to the things I’m passionate about. But I am not in a rush. I want this to be a long-term thing for me, and if it ends up being a primary source of income, then that will be a very welcome bonus!

I think the primary thing here is that I will be able to earn my keep whilst being there for my children. My #1 source of guilt (and an issue that I think a lot of working moms face) is not spending enough time with them. As it stands, I am at work for about 30 hours a week and at grad school 5 hours a week. That doesn’t seem like much in comparison to a FTWM, I know, but I miss them terribly regardless! However, the fact that most mothers must face is this: these days, most households cannot survive on only one income. I recognize the fact that I do need to contribute to the household income, yet at the same time, at this point I am not willing to spend all my time away from my children. I am hoping that the online business can be a compromise between the two :)

I will be sure to announce the launch of my website once it is up! I am really excited about it :D Wish me luck!

P.S: What kind of books do you wish you could read or that I would write? I wanna know what you mamas wanna know about!

My life is more hectic than ever...and I'm loving it!

2010-07-04T22:55:00.000+08:00

Photo: babble.com

I completely forgot to share an exciting piece of news with y’all – I’ve just been hired as a part-time lecturer! I am very excited about the beginning of my career in academia :D This is where I want to go in my life, where I always figured myself to be. Tomorrow shall be the first day of my new career - I am so nervous but so very very excited too!

But with this new employment comes a lot of complications. When I broke the news to family and friends, the common reaction was, “Congratulations!...but how will you divide your time between the children, your other part-time job, your acting career and your studies?”

Believe you me, the thought has crossed my mind many a time! And the truth is, I don’t know how I will cope. I suppose, I’ll cope with this new situation the same way I cope with every curveball life throws at me.

First is an adjustment in attitude. Life’s too short not to do everything you want to do. The greatest risk is not taking one. I spend quite a few years rejecting anything remotely challenging just so that I wouldn’t allow myself a chance to fail. But I realized that this kind of attitude only results in denying myself the chance to succeed! So I changed my mindset – basically hit a reset button in my attitude. This conscious adjustment has resulted in a sense of determination to succeed in all areas in my life, from motherhood to my hobbies.
Secondly, I’ve learned to have more realistic expectations of myself and those around me.

Third, a sense of humor. When things don't go the way I plan, I can fret about it OR I can take it with a large dose of humor. I've found that laughter and not taking myself (and situations) too seriously, has seriously helped my psyche through the toughest times. This is especially important in mothering my children - only God knows how much they test my patience on a daily (hourly?) basis!

Fourth, and most important of all, is to make sure I have people around me who’ve got my back. There is no shortage of people who would love to see me fail. But I can either surround myself with that species, OR surround myself with an amazing support system of close friends and family members, who offer nothing but encouragement and faith in my abilities to do anything I set out to do. Plus, my dad always says, “When someone is trying to stab a knife in your back, RUN FASTER!”.

So here's to achieving all you want to achieve in my life. As someone said when I announced my employment on FB - "You CAN have it all" <3

Happy week, y'all!

My favorite celeb moms!

2010-07-02T15:10:00.001+08:00

I think its about time for some lighter fare on my blog, so here I give you, a list of my favorite celebrity mamas!

Photo: PopSugar

Nicole Richie

I’ve always thought of her as the better half in The Simple Life – she is hilarious and wild, and says anything that’s on her mind. And when I read this interview after she gave birth to Harlow Winter Kate Madden, I started to like her so much more. She continued breastfeeding Harlow through food allergies, and from reading her other interviews and even her tweets, I’ve learned that they are a “Whole Foods kind of family” (read: organic, natural living). Awesome family! Plus Nicole has the best maternity style.

Photo: Kourtney Kardashion Official Website

Kourtney Kardashian

I love that Kourtney was talking about breastfeeding before she even gave birth. Her sister Khloe teased her about it a little and her other sister Kim has come under fire for a recent tweet about nursing in public. Meanwhile, Khloe has brought her son Mason around the world, breastfeeding on planes and commenting that she would gladly nurse her son without a nursing cover if she weren’t afraid of people taking pictures (find link). I love that she is so matter-of-fact about her decision to breastfeed and co-sleep too. This was the last celeb I would have guessed to be so "crunchy" but it just goes to show, you can't judge a book by its cover :)

Photo: celebrity-moms.com

Maggie Gyllenhaal

The epitome of boho cool, and big sis to my #1 celebrity crush Jake Gyllenhaal (who cares what he looks like in PoP – have y’all seen Jarhead??!), Maggie Gyllenhaal is mama to her daughter Ramona. She caused quite a fuss when these pictures surfaced of her nursing her toddler in public. I, for one, applaud her not just for nursing in public, but for also doing it so matter-of-factly. Her reaction to the whole fuss about it was basically just a metaphorical eye-roll. Tres cool!

Photo: I'm Not Obsessed

Julia Roberts

I definitely don’t approve of her home-wrecker ways, but I do admire that Julia Roberts is so eco-aware. According to her appearance on Oprah for an Earth Day episode a couple of years ago, she composts and has even organized “completely waste-free and bio-degradable” dinner parties. Her "crunchiness" has also extended to babywearing, which of course makes her a celeb mama inspiration.

Photo: Wikipedia

Diablo Cody

She just tweeted that she is trying out a new breastpump, which basically necessitated this post, haha. Don’t know that much about her yet, but I love how she has a past and isn’t ashamed of it. Everyone has a past, and it doesn’t make you a bad mama, just a mama with a different life story and juicy experiences to share ;) Good luck and congrats to her on her pregnancy - good for her for already making preparations to breastfeed!

Photo: Glam Baby bump

Kimora Lee Simmons

I saw an episode of Life in The Fab Lane recently where she spoke openly about breastfeeding her newborn son Kenzo. She was pumping while getting her makeup done – if that isn’t the definition of “glam mama”, I don’t know what is! I admire the fact that she brings her kids to work, and has gotten them involved in the business world from a young age. I also love that she is a tough cookie who sticks to her guns. I’m sure her mama bear ways would work well to ward off the teenage jerks trying to break her baby girls’ hearts in the future ;)

Photo: Baby Couture Magazine

Christina Aguilera

I will forever remember her appearance on Ellen with her huge…err…assets. Hilarious! Watch the video here.

Photo: Babble

Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani is a mom of two boys, which I can relate to, and she breastfed while on tour (I can't find the article now, but I do remember reading that...). Taking breaks to breastfeed your baby in between songs? Now that’s what you call a work-life balance!

Photo: CelebrityNews

Angelina Jolie

Again, can’t say I approve of her alleged home-wrecking ways, but I love that she adopts, I love that she has breastfed her twins (which makes her the only celeb tandem nursing mama that I know of...Julia Roberts may have tandem nursed her twins, but I'm not sure), I love that she didn’t have a live-in nanny till recently, and I love that her family has a custom-made bed that the whole family sleeps on. Co-sleeping – wonderful! Also, I really want to see this sculpture in real life.

It is refreshing to see so many celebrity mothers doing the best they can for their children and managing to juggle a career of their own. It is inspiring that not all celebrities are just good for providing tabloid fodder – some actually have substance and are just regular mommies like us. Oh, and do you notice that each and every one of them are glam mamas who also practice natural lifestyles to a certain extent? Breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping...you can do all these things without being a "hippie". Open your minds and don't get stuck on labels, people!

Do you have a favorite celeb mama that wasn’t on this list? Why do you adore them?

Download the podcast :)

2010-07-01T10:11:00.002+08:00

You can download the podcast for the discussion yesterday, here. Be sure to download soon, though. It's only available for a few days :)

More of my views on "creepy" comment about breastfeeding

2010-07-01T09:25:00.001+08:00

First of all, I would like to thank the folks at Kellymom.com for sharing the link to this blog post on their Facebook fan page. I believe that is the reason my blog has gotten more hits than it ever has - over a hundred people "liked" the link, while 30+ moms commented on it. So, giving credit where credit is due - thank you Kellymom for mentioning me, and for being an awesome resource for breastfeeding mothers everywhere! (I point all new moms in their direction).

Secondly, I had time to mull over my thoughts overnight and would like to share them. This mama has a point - everyone has a right to their own opinion and women have a right to know all sides of the story. Please know that I appreciate and acknowledge that the author's views are her own and she has every right to say it (because, in my mind, its not about breast VS bottle - no matter what your argument is, breast wins for being the best thing out there to feed their baby). What I'm disappointed in is that a major mainstream parenting publication would add yet another element in their magazine to glorify formula (in addition to the dozens of formula ads) without allowing for an alternative side to have their say. In this case, they could've featured someone who had the same qualms as Blundell but fought through it to breastfeed their baby.

Too many people are being told that it is "ok" to feed their baby formula, that they can "survive" on it just fine. First of all, while it is "ok" and they do "survive", is that really all we want for our babies? For them to meet the bare minimum of survival (which, in the case of rural countries/areas and areas with no access to clean water, is not even true)? Why can't we make the conscious decision to do what we can in order for them to flourish? Secondly, I have nothing against those who promote formula as the best thing since sliced bread, if they had bothered to really give breastfeeding a go. For moms like Blundell who didn't even bother, its yet another part of the frustrating situation breastfeeding advocates have to put up with.

What I'm worried about is, as I've said before, how the article might've swayed some on-the-fencers to not give breastfeeding a chance. Articles like this are a disservice to babies everywhere. It purports the fallible notion that breastfeeding is unnatural, that it is not normal, that breasts' SOLE purpose is for sexual gratification. Breasts are a wonderful, multi-functional, multi-tasking part of a woman's body. I couldn't be more proud of my breasts - not only do they provide enjoyment for my husband and I, but they also provide nourishment to my children. Breasts are breasts are breasts are breasts - you see them in porn, you see them ensconced in lacy bras on billboards the world over, you seem perky ones, saggy ones, large ones, small ones, and sometimes you see them in a baby's mouth. Breasts are allowed to do all that. Why do some people insist that the last one is the most abnormal situation in which to see them, to the point of labeling it "creepy", when all those other situations are arguably far creepier?

I know I can't change the minds of formula-feeding moms, but I hope that expectant moms are able to see the entire picture for what it is, get their facts right, and then make a decision. The article is an indication of what's wrong with society these days. De-normalizing the multiple purposes of the breasts and seeing them only for their sexual function will result in more than just a shift in people's mindset - it could very well rob the next generation of babies a chance to be breastfed.

I was on BBC Radio...and here are the rest of what I wished I could have said

2010-07-01T02:00:00.000+08:00

Thoughts before and during the show:

If someone finds it creepy, wouldn’t it just be easier for them to look away than for a breastfeeding mother to go somewhere and hide to simply feed her child?
I don’t see what the fuss is about because I breastfeed countless times a day, and have been doing so non-stop for 3years now. It is a fact of life for me, just as breathing is. I do it because it is the right thing for me to do for my kids.
I do believe culture plays a part – while the culture in my country is shifting slightly towards de-normalization of breastfeeding, we are also still very much shielded from blatant sexualization of the breasts. So breasts, in general, are still seen as a source of food for babies.
It’s not your choice that’s the problem – that’s your personal decision – BUT for you to write about something that you HAVEN’T done and define it as “creepy”, is irresponsible, especially because it’s a much-read publication…
There is more “marketing” for formulas than there is breastfeeding, GOSH. Breastfeeding is best, not even formula companies can deny it. Again, I don’t care about your decision, but I am upset by your publicizing it like its the best thing ever...and daring to justify it on the radio *eyeroll*
Breastfeeding moms have very little support, comments like yours don’t help the cause.
So agitated, I’m shaking! Literally!
This Scottish lady is hilarious!
My accent is coming out weird WTF
Agree to disagree OH PLEASE.

OK I’ve got SO MUCH MORE TO SAY that I didn’t get to say, here’s a short summary:
I don’t care who formula feeds. I have close friends and family members who formula feed, I have close friends and family who breastfeed. But the fact of the matter is, it is irresponsible for a formula-feeding mother to tell even one other person (let alone an entire nation, as in this case) about the wonderful magical substance that is formula whilst putting such derogatory connotations to breastfeeding – scientifically proven as the best choice for any baby, bar none.

Also, the societal pressure to use formula far outweighs the pressure to breastfeed. Breastfeeding moms do not have the billions of dollars that formula companies do to promote what they feel is the best nutrition for babies. Formula companies shove their agenda down your throat (and attempt to do it literally down your baby’s throat) to earn more money, whereas the “pressure” that medical professionals put on new mothers/mothers who have just given birth, comes from a MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE, just as those medical professionals would recommend the best form of treatment for a patient’s medical malady. Medical professionals and lactation consultants are there to encourage women to breastfeed post-birth because they know for a fact that breastmilk is best for babies, and they also know that the first few hours, days and weeks of breastfeeding are tough and that the mama needs support from all sides.

Frankly, I believe, like I said in the blog post that started this, that it all comes down to your frame of mind and point of reference. If you see breasts, first and foremost, as sexual objects, and cannot fathom using them for their “secondary” purpose of providing nutrition to your child, then you will clearly have a skewed perspective on breastfeeding. What’s the other option then? Formula, of course. Well, what about facing your issues head on and perhaps overcoming it, and be able to provide the best nutrition for your child? Yes, it is more “difficult”, but I for one think its worth it.

I know moms who have battled all sorts of things in order to breastfeed – some have medical issues, some want to breastfeed an adopted child, some battled pain and difficulty in the first few weeks – and yet they all came through and breastfed their child(ren). What did they all have in common? They sought out professional support and the support of other breastfeeding mothers, and they all had fierce determination. I also know some people who have lost the battle – all of them had a “friend” who provided glowing recommendations on formula.

Human beings rejecting our own (superior!) milk in order to feed our young another species’ milk, shows the quintessential weakness of humanity. A lot of us don’t trust ourselves, and those of us who don’t, seek redemption in the form of recruiting others to our cause. For the sake of babies everywhere, don’t listen to those who can’t see beyond themselves and their issues, even for their children. Listen instead to the ones who said YES to doing right by their children.

By the way, I myself have had difficulties breastfeeding – from my eldest son’s NICU stay, to breastfeeding through pregnancy (and the inherent and deep discomfort) throughout. Read my posts under the label “breastfeeding” to know more. Trust me, I am not judging you from a pedestal. I am there with you, mama. I just don’t understand why you would hate on mamas like me who pushed through the “discomfort” to breastfeed our children.

To each their own. Yes, I believe in this. Women have fought hard to have the right to make our own choices about all aspects of our lives. But in this case, I am not condemning this woman's choice not to breastfeed. I am condemning, first and foremost, her appalling choice of words to describe something that she never even tried to do, and secondly, her irresponsible decision to write an article that desperately tries to justify her decision not to breastfeed and, consequently, cause other like-minded individuals who may have been on the fence before, jump onto her side because it appears to be so much more convenient.

Alrighty then, I'm off to bed now. It's been an exciting night and I am happy to have shared my views on the show. Thanks again to World Have Your Say for inviting me to join in! Oh, and I'll post the Podcast tomorrow morning ;)

I'm gonna be on the radio!

2010-06-30T23:26:00.000+08:00

Wow! When I wrote the previous blog post, I had no idea it'd be such a big hit. But thanks to MamAmor Dolls sharing the link on their Facebook page, I've had more comments on that post than any other post! And best of all, it caught the attention of the folks at BBC radio...and in 2 hours time (that's 1am Malaysian time if you Malaysian mamas are still up), I'll be participating in a round-table discussion type of thingy on the World Have Your Say radio show! To my Malaysian friends, I am trying to find the live-streaming link now...let me know if you find it. To my friends in the UK, check out the WHYS website for details!

Hooray for breastfeeding! And World Have Your Say!

P.S: Who wants to bet that Afraz will wake up to nurse while I'm on the show? I'm actually hoping for it so I can say that I am actually breastfeeding as I speak ;D

Breastfeeding as a culture - it starts with you

2010-06-29T23:16:00.000+08:00

I shared this link on my wall a couple of weeks ago and have thought about it constantly (as I tend to do sometimes), so I thought I’d write about what I’m feeling just to get it off my chest. For those who are TL;DR, basically the article is about one lady’s experience being an expat in Mongolia, and how the openness and matter-of-fact culture of breastfeeding there, shaped her own breastfeeding experience. The Mongolians breastfeed anytime, anywhere, for however long the child wants to breastfeed. They believe that breastmilk makes for better wrestlers…which really isn’t that far from the truth, since breastmilk does make for “stronger” children ;)

The article touched me in a way because it made me realize that not everyone will have had the opportunity to grow up witnessing the beauty and normalcy of breastfeeding. There are people who still see formula feeding as a default method of feeding their children, simply because breastfeeding is not the norm to them or their family culture.

I grew up watching my aunts and older cousins breastfeed. It is a common thing for there to be a “breastfeeding circle” when we have family gatherings. One memory comes to mind from when I was just a teenager – I was talking about nipple piercings (no, I don’t have one, I was just talking about piercings in general and somehow ended up on that), and the first thing my female relatives exclaimed was, “Imagine having so many holes in your nipple – milk would be flying everywhere!” *LOL* I still giggle at that! But it just illustrates the prevalence of breastfeeding in our family.

You can just barely see 2/3 of the "breastfeeding line" on the left-hand side of this pic ;) Credit to Abg Aizat, whose wedding was beautiful btw.

As with the Mongolians, my breastfeeding family members all breastfeed anytime, anywhere. There’s no question about it. Recently, at a cousin’s wedding solemnization ceremony, we ended up having a “breastfeeding line” where there were three mothers (myself, and two of my cousins), breastfeeding our babies, one behind the other. And though we have mastered the art of discreet breastfeeding when the occasion calls for it (such as when male relatives are present), most of the time we breastfeed openly, bare breasts and all. Our aunts and uncles are all also incredibly supportive and enthusiastic about breastfeeding. A child starts crying? Oh, it needs a breast. Notice I said A breast, not necessarily their mom’s breast ;) So far we haven’t had any milk siblings in our generation (that I know of), because most of the breastfeeding mothers in our family are also WAHM/SAHM, but I would not hesitate for one second to breastfeed my little nieces or nephews if it is needed.

My family also practices extended breastfeeding. Now, one thing about my family, regardless of our socio-economic status (my mother had 11 siblings, so the income range in our family is pretty vast), my relatives and I are well-read. We know that breastfeeding till age 2 is normal, healthy and recommended. And we know that breastfeeding past that age does not involve “poisonous milk”, “over-coddling” or “holding back” our children. Like the Mongolians, we believe that milk makes for stronger and smarter children. I have cousins who were breastfed till they were 6, and who are now happily breastfeeding their pre-schoolers. Tandem nursing is also the norm in our family – we currently have two mamas tandem nursing our children.

Where am I going with this? It is simple really – children who are breastfed, will likely breastfed (I can't seem to find the source for this but I could've sworn I read it somewhere...if you have it, please share). But, more importantly, children who witness breastfeeding, will likely see it as a normal thing to do when they have children, and will likely breastfeed too, even though they were not breastfed themselves (this was the case with me). That is why I believe all mothers should make the effort to portray breastfeeding as a normal, everyday thing for the children around them. Don’t use a nursing cover in your own home (I wouldn’t use it outside even, although I completely understand if a mother feels more comfortable using it when nursing in public. Want to know more about nursing discreetly in public? Check out this link). Don’t go to another room to breastfeed. Breastfeed your child in full view of the children and family members around you. Rope in other mothers to breastfeed, just by supporting them in their breastfeeding journey. Make breastfeeding normal in your family, and eventually it will be normal in your community, your town, your country and hopefully, eventually, the world.

I hope I’m doing my part for the generation after me – my 5-year-old cousin frequently offers to breastfeed everyone, and confidently nurses her dolls in public ;)

Our trip to Indonesia!

2010-06-18T18:12:00.000+08:00

OK, every time I go on vacation, I always drag my feet when it comes to blogging about it. So, instead of my usual long-winding, often TL;DR commentary essay format, I shall blog about it in point form ;)

•    We arrived in Jakarta just in time for a late dinner, so we went to this place called Natrabu, where we had delicious Padang food. I am not a fan of Padang food usually, but I’m definitely a fan of Restoran Sederhana (I went there during my honeymoon in Bali) and now Restoran Natrabu. My dad tells me Garuda is really good too, so I hope to go there next time.
•    We bought some buah salak and mata kucing. Aqil learned to say mata kucing. Imagine someone saying it in an American accent. That would be how Aqil says it ;)
•    Next day we went to Plaza Indonesia and Senayang City Mall. Both have high-end shops, and we didn’t really buy anything since we knew we headed to Bandung (AKA shopping heaven). That night we headed back to Plaza Indonesia to meet up with my father’s Indonesian counterpart and his family, who were all incredibly gorgeous and nice. Plaza Indonesia is really kid-friendly. There’s like a mini theme park that Aqil really enjoyed. (See pics)
•    On our last day in Jakarta, Friday, Farhan took the day off to bring us around. We went to Grand Indonesia and this one other place, I forgot the name. Again, mostly high-end stuff, but we did buy some things. This was the day I went a little crazy at Charles & Keith ;D Bought as many shoes as I could. I know Malaysia has them too, but these were on sale!
•    I started having stomach issues that day :( It got pretty bad. I was gassy and bloated and just miserable. And it didn’t let up till yesterday! Five days of pain with no explanation. Urgh. Must’ve been something I ate.
•    Anyway on our second last day – Saturday – we woke up early to head to Bandung. The trip there wasn’t so bad – the highway is new, and traffic was alright (compared to the HELL that was Jakarta traffic!).
•    We had lunch at this awesome place, which I have forgotten the name of! There is a small pond where they “catch” the fish to cook for you. The food is traditional Sundanese food (local Bandung fare), and it was pretty tasty. But the seating arrangement and general ambience is what really makes this place special. Oh, and the Grilled Banana with Cheese is DELICIOUS!!!
•    We went shopping at Rumah Mode (not particularly kid-friendly – its full of people and kinda cramped). My parents ended up sitting in one corner with the kids while I went on a quick shopping spree, hehe. I bought A LOT of stuff, some branded, but all cheap. I really love that you can get something for every member of the family at one spot – kids’ clothes, toys, adult clothes. I even bought a few nursing tops! A definite must-go for anyone headed to Bandung.
•    After that we went to Pasar Baru to look for fabric. We didn’t spend much time there. The kids were cranky and the place wasn’t really stroller friendly so the boys were “let loose”, so by the end of it, us parents were cranky too. Hahaha. Pasar Baru has some cheap cheap cheap stuff, though. Not just textiles, mind you. Every floor has a “theme” – textiles, kids stuff, clothes, umrah/hajj supplies. All sorts of stuff under one roof.
•    We then headed to Tokoh Tiga to find jeans. But the kids fell asleep in the van, so my mom and I opted to stay back with them. DH and my Dad tell me the jeans were pretty OK, so I hope to visit there next time.
•    We wanted to do more shopping but we had run out of money and were exhausted, hahahaha! So we headed back to hotel to wash up and organize all the stuff that we bought. I can’t tell you the exact amount, but sufficed to say…we could barely close our luggage!
•    We had dinner that night at this place called The Palm. The food wasn’t that great. But the ambience was amazing. I had the Grilled Banana with Cheese here too, but it wasn’t as good as the one at the previous restaurant.
•    We left Bandung the next morning and headed straight to Jakarta after buying some paracetamol for poor Afraz who developed a fever that morning. In Jakarta, we only had enough time to eat at Bakmi Tokoh Tiga (not that great, in my opinion, but DH likes it) and hang out at DH’s apartment before heading to the airport.
•    We had spent the whole morning explaining to Aqil that his Daddy won’t be coming along with us and has to stay back to work in Jakarta. He seemed OK with that as we said our goodbyes at the apartment, and even at the airport…but as we were about to land, he was indignantly telling us that his Daddy would be meeting up with him at home :( Poor kid.

Well, that’s pretty much all we did on our trip :) I had a lot of fun, and the kids were really well-behaved. I really really really want to go back to Bandung again. But its just not very kid-friendly so its more effort than its worth when travelling with children. I would definitely go back there for a girl’s trip when the kids are older. I’m just not ready to leave my kids an entire weekend yet!

FYI, Afraz developed a high fever, but it went down after two days. He now has a weird rash all over his body though. Doctor says its just a symptom of his viral infection and should go away soon. Hope he feels better ASAP! He has been super cranky and clingy these past few days.

Aqil has been such an angel these past few days, though. It seems he is growing out of his “terrible twos”. These past few days have seen far fewer tantrums than ever before! In fact, yesterday I only counted one tantrum, and only because I was checking my iPhone in bed and he was pissed that he couldn’t play with it. So I had that one coming ;p Other than that, he acts like such a grown-up these day – “I will do it my-SELF” and “Oh, OK” are his favorite things to say. Independent and agreeable? Did an alien invade my son’s body??! Haha!

Anyway, I have a few things up my sleeve to blog about but that shall have to wait. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Glam Mama Product Review: Wizzit Autotweezer

2010-05-27T18:48:00.001+08:00

Note: I am NOT getting paid or anything for doing this review, I just wanted to share it with fellow glam mamas ;)

Now, all mamas love things that make their lives easier. We also do not have much time to spend on glamming ourselves up. So, in an effort to find time-saving beauty solutions for myself and other glam mamas, I've ~~spent a small fortune~~ bought a few things to try out and review. This will be the first of many reviews, I suspect, so keep checking in!

I've tried various depilating/hair removal tools and services. Shaving, hair removal creams, threading, waxing...I've tried them all, everywhere. I've found some solutions work for certain areas - for example, threading is my preferred method of eyebrow shaping - but I've yet to find something for all err..hair areas...that is easy-to-use, fast, discreet, and doesn't involve the hairs growing back the day after. I'll talk about the pros and cons of the different methods one of these days, but for today, I would like to talk about this product I bought recently that I just tried out :)

I bought the Wizzit AutoTweezer from Supermodel Secrets, a local blogshop selling beauty tools at affordable prices. All the stuff you've seen on TV infomercials, you can find there. Anyway, I've been curious about the Wizzit since I first saw the infomercial back in the States, which was like 4 years ago. I never thought about buying it though, till I saw it on SS and figured it was cheaper than getting waxed, and if it works, it would really be value for money.

I just received it today and was so excited that I tried it right away, without bothering to watch the instructional video, hehe! I put the batteries in - it uses 2 AAA batteries - and turned it on. It's not that loud, but not particularly quiet either. Definitely not something I'd use in public or near the kids when they are asleep.

I used it on my upper leg (I just shaved, so no hair from the knee-down) and on my arm. As far as pain goes, it really wasn't painful. You can feel it pulling (tweezing) the hairs out, but its so rapid that you feel just a teeny-weeny pinch.

It took me a while to figure out the best way of using it - Circular movements? Against the hair direction? Up and down along my leg? To be honest, I'm still not sure! Sometimes it plucked out the hairs easily, sometimes not so much. However, I did notice that it pulled out the hairs on my arms a lot easier than the hairs on my upper legs. I think that its because the hairs on my arm are thicker, whereas the hairs on my leg are a lot finer.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with it some more. I like that I can use it while watching TV and stuff, instead of either having to go somewhere to get the hair removed (waxing) or being stuck in the toilet the whole time (shaving, hair removal creams). I've always preferred tweezing, but for large areas like my legs, I just don't have the time to do it anymore!

Basically, I give the Wizzit AutoTweezer 4 stars ****. It did a good enough job but I need to learn how to use it more effectively. This is definitely something I will be using more often - it's painless, time-saving and allows for multi-tasking (I used it just now while breastfeeding and watching TV!).

Hope all you glam mamas found this review useful! Let me know what you think in the comments ;D

Of raising men, and not being able to wear them till they're 20, as much as I'd like to

2010-05-26T16:37:00.000+08:00

After exams were over, I took the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with my boys. I used to take our time together for-granted back when I was a full-time SAHM. Now that I'm a WAHM/PTWM, I cherish our quality time together. Other hobbies like knitting and blogging have definitely taken a backseat! But I have big plans for this blog of mine ;) Watch this space!

We are leaving to visit DH in Indonesia next week. I am really looking forward to that! I've been very disciplined about shopping these past few weeks - only because I want to have enough funds for an Indonesian shopping spree, muahahaha! We will be in Jakarta and Bandung, so if you have any glam shopping destinations to recommend, please do so. It would be a huge plus if the place is kid- and stroller-friendly too.

Speaking of strollers, I fear that soon I shall be utilizing my double stroller more often (it has been collecting dust up until now). At only 15 months, Afraz is slowly getting too heavy for me to wear, and he is becoming a lot less interested in being carried in a sling (unless he wants to nurse). I suspect he would really enjoy riding side-by-side with his idol (his big bro) when we are out and about. But I just can't bear the thought of not babywearing anymore!

Wearing 1mo old Aqil

Wearing 1mo old Afraz

The thought has actually brought me to tears. I am as saddened by the thought of stopping active babywearing as I am of weaning my children off the breast. I am just so attached to the practice of babywearing and breastfeeding, and it has become such a huge part of my life (both personally and professionally). But I will have to embrace the fact that my babies are outgrowing these stages in their lives, slowly but surely.

I am comforting myself with this thought: As they get older, I will find more aspects of my children's lives to get involved in and be passionate about - (home?)schooling, athletics, hobbies, weddings, grandchildren, etc etc. So, I suppose I need to start preparing myself for what I used to think was impossible - I have to now focus on the fact that I am raising men, not babies! Here's to hoping that this blog will remain till I can change the title to "The Diaries of a Glam Grandma"! Haha!

Afraz' First Birthday Party!

2010-05-01T16:20:00.002+08:00

This post is almost a month overdue. Forgive me!

Afraz’ birthday party was held on April 4, 2010, from 3pm-6pm at our place, with the theme “Under The Sea” (but no actual water play involved because I’ve had bad experiences with those kinda parties). Behold the e-vite that I designed for the occasion:

The birthday boy was dressed in a sailor onesie that day, and his big bro was looking macho in his beachwear.

We mostly invited family and close friends. Since my mother has 11 siblings and we have tons of nieces, nephew, grandnieces, grandnephews, and everyone brings their partners, spouses, and/or children, a “family affair” usually means a big hoo-ha with over 100 people. But we love it!

Food was provided by Fara Hana CM Enterprise (owned by my lovely cousin). You can find more info at her blog, LovelyFood. There are more pictures of the food on my hard drive but I'm having trouble uploading those pics to blogger >:( Whatever it is, I have to say, the food that day was absolutely delish!

The cupcakes and assorted cakes (we had one cake for Afraz and a few other cakes for fellow his birthday-mates) were baked by Loves Desserts (owned by my lovely Aunty Erin who also lives down the road from us). You can find more info at her blog, LovesDesserts.

This time around, it was my first time using a party planner. From my experience, its really exhausting to organize a birthday party – just sourcing the party favors can be a nightmare. And don’t get me started on the balloons! So we hired Mummy's Party Shop to do all the hard work for us. They also provided party activities for the kiddies – sand art and a balloonist. They are based in D’Bayu, Bukit Jelutong, and you can find more info about them here.

I think these pictures attest to the fun that was had that day, by kids and adults alike:

Thank you to all those who came, and we look forward to our next birthday party for more fun! (Gotta start thinking of a theme now).

Upcoming Babywearing Talks by me

2010-04-30T11:34:00.001+08:00

I've posted this on the Malaysian Babywearers blog, but I thought I'd repost it here. If you're a mom, dad, or any kind of caregiver, and you are interested in babywearing, follow the Malaysian Babywearers blog!

For your information, there will be two babywearing talks in the coming weeks, both by me. These informative talks will introduce you to the basics of babywearing: the benefits of babywearing, the types of carriers available and there will even be demonstrations on how to use the different carriers. Whether you are an expectant parent, a mom or dad curious about babywearing, or a even a babywearing veteran, your presence is more than welcome.

Introduction to Babywearing, Mom & Baby Expo 2010
Date: Saturday, May 8, 2010
Time: 11am
Duration: Half an hour
Event: Mom & Baby Expo 2010
Location:
Mid Valley Exhibition Centre,
3rd Floor,
Midvalley Megamall

Babywearing Talk, IBU Bazaar
Date: Sunday, May 9, 2010
Time: 1pm
Duration: Half an hour
Event: IBU Bazaar
Location:
FitFor2,
2nd Floor,
Bangsar Village II

I'm shooting for the moon...

2010-04-30T11:26:00.000+08:00

Remember how I mentioned that I have an exciting surprise that I was waiting to confirm to share with you all? And remember how I said I am “chasing a dream”? Well, that dream happens to be…acting. ;D

And with this news, I suppose I can officially say I am getting back into acting after a looooooong hiatus (I’ve been acting since I was a kid, on TV and on stage, but then I left for the States and got married and had kids…and well, I guess life got in the way for a bit there).

First of all, I got a part in an online mini-series! It’s a pretty cool concept, and I can’t say much about it yet, but once it’s done I’ll let you all in on the deets of course.

Secondly, I got a part in a short movie! The script is amazing, really thought-provoking and sad (please bring tissues if you wanna watch it). I was into it from the time I read the script for the casting, and I’m so psyched to be a part of it. As with the other projects, I’ll be more forthcoming with the details once we’re done or at least start shooting.

I am so excited! I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time now it seems. I miss it. Acting has always been a passion of mine, something I’ve always enjoyed doing, and one of the few things I think I’m kinda good at. My skills are a little rusty and it’s a lot harder to memorize my lines now than it was when I was younger, but the feeling of seeing my name on the call sheet and just holding a script, man it’s the best!

I have a few more things lined up, but since I haven’t even auditioned for them yet, I’m not even gonna think about them.

Here’s to mamas "shooting" for the moon and maybe landing among the "stars" (and going on set with breastpumps instead of an entourage!)

Glam mama is a glam busy bee these days

2010-04-22T11:49:00.001+08:00

I’ve been a busy bee!

Firstly, I’m nowhere near done with my assignments, which are due this Saturday and next Saturday respectively. Also, I have exams in about three weeks which I am completely unprepared for. Being a student while being a WAHM (or should I say PTWM? Read on to know more…;p) is tough. But I have to keep focusing on my long-term goals. Ultimately my MBA is going to add value to my life and potential employment too…so I have to remember that I need to “put up with the rain to see the rainbow”.

Secondly, I can now be referred to as a Part-Time Working Mom! An aerosystems company offered be a job that I just couldn’t refuse – they need someone to do their Public Relations work part-time, and I was looking for a job that wouldn’t require me to work full-time. With this job, I go into the office one day a week (sometimes, like this week, I come in twice a week because of an event), and I do some work from home. Basically, this is my ideal job situation! I’ve been working there about a week now. So far it’s been a lot of fun – it’s something new for me, being in an office, but I do find it quite enjoyable. I’m pretty much by myself most of the day, so the peace and quiet is quite pleasing. That being said, my door goes directly to the factory floor, so I hear all the banging and buzzing and drilling, so it’s not really all that “quiet” per se!

The biggest challenge with being in an office is that I have to pump. I’m so bad at scheduling pumping sessions, and sometimes it gets so hectic here that I don’t have time to do it, and when I do find time to do it a few hours too late, I fill up entire bottles of milk! Luckily I’m only here once or twice a week. I know that it would really hurt my supply if I were to do that every day.

Speaking of milk, both my boys are still breastfeeding. Aqil is going to be 3 years old soon, and he breastfeeds once a day. Clearly it’s just for fun, although once in a while he enjoys the milk (this only happens when Afraz is latched on the other side…if it’s just Aqil, he fools around and doesn’t nurse long enough for the letdown). I don’t particularly mind – I’m breastfeeding anyway, so why not let him get a chance at the “best antibiotic in the world”?

Our latest tandem nursing photo

As Afraz is getting older (13 months now), he is eating a lot more solids, and is breastfeeding a little less. He still nurses a lot, though. I am glad for this. I dare not imagine a day when one or both of my boys quit breastfeeding. Already I am faced with the fact that I may not be able to wear Afraz so often now that he is bigger and walking. It’s a bittersweet thing, seeing them grow up. On one hand it is gratifying to see them develop and knowing you helped shaped them, one the other hand I miss their baby selves, the memories of which are fresh in my mind as it was back then.

I’ve also been doing more PR work for Malaysian Babywearers, and in fact, I will be giving two talks on the weekend of May 8 and 9. I will share more info on that soon :) We have quite a few things planned for our organization, and I’m looking forward to working on that soon. Nothing like a passion project to really motivate you!

Apart from all this “proper” stuff I’m doing, I’ve also been…how shall I say…”chasing my dreams” a little bit. I dare not say anything more for fear of jinxing it, but believe me, I will announce it here once something happens! (I’m being so mysterious, huh? Hahahaha!).

So, yeah, I’ve been a very busy bee indeed ;) I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d rather be busy than bored!

I know its been a while...

2010-04-12T18:22:00.000+08:00

...but I've been genuinely busy! As I've mentioned before, I have assignments due soon, and my exams are coming up, so any "free" time that I have is dedicated to that. And now, I've just received news that I have even less "free" time to blog - because I just got a job!

Fret not, my friends, as it is not a full-time job (so I will still be mostly a WAHM to my kids), but I do have to go the office once a week. I am looking forward to starting this new job! Its a Public Relations post, which is what I love to do, and the schedule fits perfectly with my lifestyle. I am so grateful to have this opportunity!

I have some other news to share, too, but I'll have to wait a week or so to confirm it. And just so you know, NO I am not pregnant again! (I swear, at least 3 people have asked me this when I say I have good news!).

P.S: I still need to blog about our Singapore trip and Afraz' birthday party!

My Nasi Lemak Kopi O appearance!

2010-04-05T15:33:00.000+08:00

On Saturday night, the nerves had started to eat at me. To distract myself, I set about packing for our trip to Singapore, and preparing my outfit, shoes, slings, etc etc. After class, I had gotten my hair done at a salon (how often am I on live TV?? Might as well make sure my hurr looks good), so I was all set on that aspect. As I went about trying to stay busy (change the kids’ clothes, get them to bed, etc), my heart was pounding a mile a minute! I got online after the kids fell asleep, just because I couldn’t fall asleep. After some Facebook-ing and blog-hopping, I dragged myself to bed at 2.30am and forced myself to go to bed.

At 6am, my alarm went off. I woke up, eyes swollen, thinking “What the hell am I doing up so early??!”. After a couple of minutes of arguing with myself (and the alarm on my phone), I grumpily woke up to get ready. After a quick shower, I was more refreshed…but my nerves resumed their assault on my psyche. I started to do my makeup (just in case the makeup artist might be busy/unavailable). Luckily I had just seen this video tutorial – I had coincidentally chosen to wear a purple outfit for the interview, so it was a perfect match!
By 7am, I had woken up my mom to ask her to stay with the kids (who were still fast asleep), and went down for breakfast. Obviously, I was too nervous to eat at that point. I had a couple of bites of bread, had a couple of gulps of Milo, and decided that I needed to just get going already.

Luckily, traffic was non-existent, so we got there in no time! My dad drove me there because frankly, I was too anxious to drive. When we got there, we had quite a tough time looking for the studio…After asking around and making a couple of phone calls, we found it. And here’s a little trivia about the place: The studio was the same exact studio I used to work at when I was 12, co-hosting Cilik :D It was so surreal to be back there more than a dozen years later!

I went to the makeup room, but the makeup artist looked at me, dusted some loose powder on my face, looked at me some more, and said I was done. LOL. I guess I did a pretty good job at doing my own makeup *LOL* So I waited around in the green room before the show started. There I hung out with Shiera’s daughters and maid. Her baby daughter Auddra is sooooo cute!! Aggghhh the chubby cheeks, thighs…GERAM!!

Anyway once the show began, I watched in on the TV in the green room. At the first commercial break, one of the producers, Nurul, invited me into the studio. It was so much fun to be back in that environment again, with the lights and cameras and headphones…fun! I waited anxiously for my turn while chatting with Nurul. As my segment approached, I chatted with the host/my interviewer, Farrah. She’s so nice! Very gracious and sweet, and genuinely curious about babywearing :) Both hosts have 7-month-old babies, so they were very curious about what I was going to talk about.

The interview, well, let this video do the talking ;) Thank you, Hidayah, for recording and uploading it!

After the interview, the ones who had the most questions and were the most excited were the guys on the crew: “I can’t wait to get one of these for my wife!”. Hahaha! Too bad I couldn't stay longer. I had to leave before the show was over, because I had to catch a flight to Singapore.

I hope that Malaysian Babywearers gets more exposure like this in the future :D I’ve got a few more blog posts due (my Singapore trip, Afraz’ birthday party, etc etc), and I will try to get those done ASAP. After that I have to take a short hiatus from blogging due to looming exams and assignment deadlines!

Footage from my Nasi Lemak Kopi O appearance!

2010-03-29T17:54:00.000+08:00

Hi all! I'm in Singapore at the moment, so I can't update much. I just wanted to share the link to the video of my appearance on Nasi Lemak Kopi O yesterday. You can find it here. Look forward to blog about it when I return!

I'm gonna be on teevee!!!

2010-03-26T00:47:00.001+08:00

This morning I got an especially exciting phone call from a producer for Nasi Lemak Kopi O, a morning talk show on TV9. Guess what? I'll be representing Malaysian Babywearers on the show this Sunday, 8am!

Thanks so much to Alin, who took the initiative to mention us to one of the hosts, Shiera, who also happens to be her old schoolmate. That got the ball rolling, and eventually Alin made a post on their Facebook wall, and we got a response from the team! (Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE social media? Perfect for advocacy work!). I didn't hear back for a while, and if I'm being honest, I've been super-anxious for the past week since I sent them our proposal. When they finally called me this morning, I was over the moon! Literally, I could've flown over the moon, the way I was jumping up and down.

This is such a great opportunity for Malaysian Babywearers - it will mark the first time we are given air time on national television! I am sooooo excited about this! Nasi Lemak Kopi O is a very popular show, and we will be able to reach so many people with our message.

I am really nervous. I hope I don't choke up there on LIVE television. There is a lot riding on this segment - this is our chance to spread the babywearing awareness nationally! I better practice what I'm gonna say. Oh, and figure out a cute outfit for the day. Gotta look glam, right? ;) Hahaha!

P.S: Hopefully in the near future we will have another spot on TV...something is in the works, so let's hope that happens ;)

[[warning: picture heavy]] Hong Kong Trip - Day 2 - DISNEYLAND!

2010-03-25T01:11:00.000+08:00

It was March 10, 2010, and the first thing I did as I opened my eyes to greet the new day, was yell "Disneyland!!". We were all super-psyched, even the kids who, frankly, had no real idea what was awaiting them. We got ready in record time that morning! By 10.30am, we got in to a cab and were on our way to Disneyland. It was our first time seeing the Hong Kong skyline at daytime, and later on, the ocean and mountains. It was quite a wonderful ride, punctuated by several glimpses of the familiar Mickey Mouse head silhouette on the highway signboards en route to Disneyland :) Very cute touch, Hong Kong!

When we got there at 11.15am, the walking began. Walk walk walk as we tried to find the entrance. But I certainly wasn't complaining! With familiar Disney music coming from the speakers and the sight of posters here and there featuring our favorite Disney characters, I was so very very excited! Those who've seen my pictures on Facebook can attest to that, hahaha.

Finally we got to the entrance and my Dad went to get tickets. While he lined up, my mom and I, along with the kids, marveled at how wonderful the weather was (sunny yet cool...PERFECT weather!) and started buying some Disney merchandise for the kids.

Once we got in, I couldn't contain my excitement! I had done some research beforehand and found this website detailing some favorite toddler rides and stuff, but my Dad also went to pick out some useful brochures. We then planned our day accordingly.

First thing we did when we got on Main Street was try and get pictures with Mickey and Minnie, but we were too late, and they closed velvet rope right in front of us :( "But do not worry," we were told, "the Mouses will be right back at 12.30". So we decided to get a bite to eat first before going to take pictures with them. Before we could get to the restaurant, though, we had to watch the band playing Disney songs!

When we got to the restaurant, Aqil was freaking out about wanting a Mickey balloon, so my mom, Afraz and I sat down and flipped through the menu while his Atuk bought him a balloon. I decided that day that the whole day was gonna be a treat for the kids, so I ordered Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles and ice-cream for their lunch. But the kids were having none of that - when Aqil sat down, he asked for rice. Hahaha! Well, its the thought that counts, right?

After a nice, filling meal, we still had some time before we headed back to the start of Main Street to meet the Mouses. So we decided to go on one or two rides in Tomorrowland.

We ended up going on the Orbitron rocket ship ride, which Aqil thoroughly enjoyed as he got to "drive the rocket!". I don't know if Afraz was enjoying it or not as he was nursing the whole time and actually fell asleep halfway through.

When we saw it was almost 12.30, we decided to head back to the start of Main Street to finally take pictures with Mickey and Minnie, but Aqil was freaking out again because he thought we were going home already. But then he caught sight of Mickey and calmed down :) He was so stunned to see Mickey "in real life"!

I was super excited too, obviously. Afraz...well, maybe he was experiencing it in his dreams?

After that, we headed back to Tomorrowland to experience some more attractions. This time Aqil and my mom went on the Autopia car ride together. That took quite a while, but apparently he had lots of fun.

After that we went to the Stitch interactive show called Stitch Encounter, which only lasted 15mins but was quite a bit of fun. I suspect older kids would find it more amusing, though. Aqil has suddenly become a fan of Stitch since then though, so he must've found that funky blue alien pretty charming! By the time we were done with that, it was time for another big attraction at any Disneyland - The Disney Parade!

After the Parade, we moved on to Fantasyland, where the first thing we did was ride the Cinderella Carousel. I forgot how much good old-fashioned fun a merry-go-round could be!

Later on, Aqil and I enjoyed the Dumbo ride. Similar to the rocket one, except we're in a flying elephant. Aqil didn't get the reference, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

While we walked around after that ride, I noticed this area where all the characters were standing in gazebos for pictures. Naturally, that was our next destination! I went with Aqil while my parents watched Afraz. We only had enough time to meet Pooh and Goofy before all the characters had to leave :/

Anyhoo, after that we went to my mom's all-time favorite attraction: Small Small World! I think she was the most excited out of us all to go on that ride, hehe. I took a tonne of pics inside the ride but they didn't turn out so great :/ So here is a pic of the outside.

There wasn't much else we wanted to do in Fantasyland after all that (none of the adults wanted to risk the dizzying Mad Hatter's Teacup ride), so we went to Adventureland. This is the smallest section of the park, and it was late, so we only went on one ride - the Jungle River Cruise. It was basically just a boat ride with realistic animatronic wildlife and crazy pyrotechnics. Most of the kids were kinda scared, though. Aqil acted tough, but seemed quite anxious.

We were really hungry at that point, and it was around 6.30, so we had an hour to kill before the fireworks and closing time. So we went looking for food. Much to our disappointment, most of the restaurants were closed in preparation for the fireworks. During our walk to find a restaurant, the kids fell asleep. Anyway, we managed to find a restaurant that was open, and had dinner there. After we finished our meal, we managed to get a real good spot to watch the fireworks, and the kids woke up just in time to see the fireworks :)

I had tears in my eyes during the fireworks. First of all, it was a stunning fireworks display - the best I've ever seen. Secondly, the accompanying music and dialogue were taken from my favorite Disney movies - the memories of my childhood came racing back to my mind, and I was so overwhelmed by it all. I know it seems cheesy that I would be so emotional about a fireworks display, but anyone from my generation can't deny how much Disney played a role in our childhood! I know, I know, consumerism has invaded our lives, etc etc, but looking at it from the perspective of a once-innocent and none-the-wiser kid again...man, it was really really sweet.

I think that Hong Kong Disneyland would be a lovely location for a Malaysian family holiday - it is close (3.5hrs away by flight), there's no need for a visa, the food is Asian (this is very important for rice addicts like my kids, LOL), the tickets are cheap (I forgot the exact price, but you can find it on their website...much much cheaper than other Disney theme parks, and kids under 3 get in free!) and the employees speak English fairly well. Also, Malaysians like cooler weather, so if you go there during Spring/Fall, it happens to be non-peak season, which means no crowds :D

I really enjoyed my time at Disneyland, and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. The park is big enough that you can spend the whole day there, yet small enough that you won't get overly tired or need to stay extra days to experience all the attractions. I should mention, however, that we didn't go during peak season, so the lines were basically non-existent - I think the longest we had to wait in line was 10mins. I would totally go back there again one day, only next time I will stay at a Disneyland hotel and not bother with other parts of HK (read Part 1 of my HK adventures if you wanna know why).

Now, who could that be? ;)

2010-03-18T21:39:00.000+08:00

I thought my next update would be Part 2 of my Hong Kong adventures, but first I bring you this piece of news:

That's me, modeling for Layla Thewalkincloset :D I've always been a fan of the way they shot their models (very Cosmo-cover like, right?), so I was really excited to do this. Plus, their collections are always really spunky, stylish and oh-so-glam. Love it!

When I arrived, I was pleased to find out that the store (which has outlets in Taipan USJ & Damansara Uptown as well as an online retail operation) is owned by new parents, Layla and Taufik. Not only that, but Layla is also a breastfeeding, full-time working mama! So I fully throw my support behind this enterprising couple.

To find out more, do visit their blog at http://the-walk-in-closet.blogspot.com/, and their Facebook page.

P.S: Yes, I'm looking into doing more modeling & stuff so feel free to contact me if you wanna work with me ;)

Hong Kong - Day 1

2010-03-13T23:13:00.001+08:00

The kids woke up really early, which was like a nightmare for me because I was still so exhausted from the flight (we had arrived the night before). My dad had gone to a meeting (this was really the reason he had to go there), so it was just my mom and I with the two boys.

We decided to order room service (too lazy and hungry to look for food outside!), some simple breakfast. Before we even had a bite to eat, Afraz managed to pull the tray and it landed on the floor. Broken plates and food everywhere! Gaahhhh! It was then that we scratched our initial intention of staying in the hotel the whole day till my dad got back. The kids were getting way too restless.

By the time we got ourselves and the kids ready, and we walked out of the hotel, we were starving! Not only that, but we were caught off-guard by how cold it was. We got into a cab and went to Times Square (it was the only place we could think of to go), and when we reached there, the first thing we did was look for food.
We ended up going to this place called S/M/L, where we had delicious food. I totally recommend it. Plus you can decide on the serving size – S is for small (kid-sized serving), and so on and so forth. Aqil was definitely enjoying his time there – he made friends with people at the neighboring table. Nevermind the language barrier – a charming smile is all you need to make friends (I wish more adults would keep this in mind).

Anyway, after our meal, I was looking forward to doing some shopping. However, we didn’t really end up doing that. The weather was too cold to walk around the shophouses (where I saw most of the cute clothes on the drive over), and there were no “malls” to be seen.

We did go to Sogo though – I had forgotten to pack Aqil’s socks, and needed to get some (he was freezing, poor kid). There, I found the only real shopping find during my trip – comfortable and cute nursing bras in my size! See, I’m teeny-tiny (can’t give my specific size, but let’s just say that there aren’t many manufacturers who make nursing bras in my size), so its so freakin’ hard to find nursing bras in Malaysia. My favorite is the La Leche League Deep Plunge bras {LINK}, and I can only get those online.

OK, enough of that, back to the great find at Sogo. I spotted this maternity-wear area there and, as I usually do whenever I find any new maternity store, I inquired about their nursing bras. Imagine my surprise when it turns out they have them in my size! I tried it all on, and bought every single one, muahahahaha! So now, I no longer have to “ration” my nursing bras because I have lots of them, hooray! FYI, the brand is Gennie’s. Highly recommended for small-sized mamas!

While we were shopping, I started to feel a bit light-headed and dizzy. After passing Afraz over to my mom to wear, and drinking some of Aqil’s yogurt, I decided I really had to go back to the hotel and lie down. Just my luck, we got into a cab driven by the BIGGEST JERK OF ALL TIME. What an a$$hole!!! He was so rude, totally unhelpful, and just an all-around crazy dude. I understand that its not part of a taxi driver’s job description to help his passengers unload their stroller, but the least you could do when you see two women dealing with two young children and bags and strollers, is NOT rush them and tell them off! Plus, he dropped us off at a gated sidewalk in front of our hotel, so I had to drag the stroller, carrying the bags & Afraz, around the other end of the gate, onto the sidewalk. I don’t normally curse people – I like to give them the benefit of the doubt – but I curse this guy to a miserable life, seriously. What a pathetic excuse for a “man”. Ugh.

When we got back to our room, I was in an even worse condition that before. I was feverish…and my boobs hurt. That’s right – M A S T I T I S. Dun dun dunnnn! I checked and could feel a couple of clogged ducts. At this point I was nearly in tears, “Please don’t make me have to deal with this in a foreign country while on vacation!”. Anyway, long story short, I lay down and took a nap (thanks for watching the kids, Mom and Dad), which – aside from a couple hours up to eat & get the kids to bed – ended up being a whole night’s sleep. There goes our plan to have dinner by the harbor and watch the daily light show (we didn’t end up seeing it the whole time were there. So disappointed ok).

(Day 2, coming soon)

Why, we're in the news!

2010-03-12T12:12:00.000+08:00

I'm back from Hong Kong! Our trip was pretty fabulous, and I will definitely write more about it later, but first I want to talk about one of the highlights of my trip that actually happened a couple of thousand miles away, back home here in Malaysia: Afraz and I were in the papers!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had been interviewed and shot for the Ratu section of Berita Harian about a week ago. Well, the article came out on Tuesday, and I was in HK at the time. My mom got a few text msgs that morning from her friends, informing her that we were in the papers. I quickly went online and read the copy. So excited!! I was kinda disappointed that I couldn't see the article in its entirety (pictures and all)...but I didn't have to wait long before my friends took pictures and scanned the article and put in on Facebook :D Thanks a million, Aishah and Haslinda!

I am still so over the moon about this. What a great opportunity for Malaysian Babywearers and the entire babywearing community here. I don't think Berita Harian, and the wonderful reporter Siti Nur, realize what a great public service they've done for parents, parents-to-be and, more importantly, the BABIES in Malaysia! I hope that this article will have reached out to parents who wouldn't have otherwise heard about babywearing, and helped quell some of the (frankly, quite bizarre) stigma that babywearing parents have had to face here. No more bibik comments please! Unless your bibik looks as good as that carrying your baby ;) The actual link to the article on Berita Harian is no longer available, but you can find the text here and here (Thanks again, Aishah, and also Syahidah!).

Some people asked for a "behind-the-scenes" account of the shoot and interview. Its nothing fancy, I assure you, but I'll oblige! After our phone call, Siti (the reporter) sent me an e-mail with a list of questions that I could answer via e-mail before our actual face-to-face interview. We figured this was the best way to get the vital facts across in case things should get too chaotic at the shoot itself (which, since it included my children, it kinda did).

The shoot actually went well, considering the craziness that comes with my two boys, hahaha. Aqil was happy to be in the humongous studio, and he found a bunch of balloons, so he was all set. Afraz, on the other hand, was pretty pissed off that he couldn't play with his big brother, and had to "work" instead *LOL*. I bet the photographer had a tough time choosing the photos to include in the article, because he was pretty unhappy for most of the shoot! The pictures turned out great, though, and as per the comments on Facebook, Afraz does look genuinely happy to be worn.

For those who are wondering why those particular carriers were featured (ringsling and mei-tai), well actually Siti and the photographer were the ones who chose it. Mostly it had to do with aesthetic value, I think, and in the case of the step-by-step directions, user-friendliness. I brought my whole stash, and those two were the ones that were chosen. Hopefully in the future we will have another opportunity where we can feature other carriers :) The initial idea was to have Afraz and I posing with the ringsling, and then Aqil and I for the mei-tai. But Aqil was too busy playing, so we went with Afraz all the way (with a break in between shots to change a poopy diaper). We joked that Afraz was the actual diva on set, not me!

All in all, I am super happy with how the article came out. I look forward to more mainstream media coverage of babywearing in Malaysia!

Speaking of, I am such a bad bad bad person for forgetting to blog about another important media outlet that covered babywearing in Malaysia recently! I wrote an article for Bonda magazine and it came out in their February issue.

Thanks to the ladies at IBU House for that wonderful opportunity! Once I have permission to post the text of the article here, I will do it :D

I am so so happy for all the media coverage that Malaysian Babywearers are getting - and its only March! Hopefully as the year goes on, we will be featured in more media outlets, with the ultimate goal being a spot on TV! (If anyone knows a way in, do let us know - we will be eternally grateful!)

Testing testing

2010-03-06T18:16:00.001+08:00

Alright, I'm just trying to post a blog entry using BlogPress. Hope this works! It'll be a lot of fun if I can start blogging on-the-go :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Glam Mama's First Night Out in a Long, Looooong Time

2010-03-06T16:20:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, my hubby (who is back from his posting overseas, for just a few days), mentioned that his work friends invited us out to the Cosmic Gate event at Zouk that night, and asked if I was up for it. Well, I haven't spent much time with my hubby in the past few weeks, and I've been itching for an opportunity to have a night out, so of course I was upfor it! Bear in mind, I'm in my ~~early~~ mid-20s, and I haven't had much of a nightlife since I turned 19, when I left for the US, and when I got there couldn't get into most clubs because they are above-21. When I finally became of age over there, I became pregnant with my first kid. I'm not saying this as some huge sob story about how I never had a life - I love that I got married and had kids young! But every once in a while, when I look at Facebook photos of my old classmates out clubbing every night, I do wish for just one night where I can do that. After last night, though, I think that one night out of a whole year would be more than enough for me!

Here are several random thoughts that ran through my mind throughout the course of the night:

"If you turn off the music and put some decent clothes on the girls, this could pass for a gospel church." (all that nodding & swaying...)
"I can see up that girl's skirt!"
"I can see down that girl's shirt!"
"I wonder how many people can see up my skirt or down my shirt."
"I shouldn't have worn heels."
"Is she having a seizure??"
"That's the tenth time I've been felt up on the way to the bathroom"
"OMG OMG OMG THERE IS NO SOAP IN THE BATHROOM!"
"...I better check my phone for the 100th time tonight"

I'm not complaining, though. I did have fun. But, if I'm being honest, I have more fun being with my kids at home, or watching a DVD while snacking on a slice of pizza. To be fair, I was never much of a nightclub-goer even as a young girl. It was always just an occasional thing that I would do maybe once every three months. Usually my friends and I would go watch a movie or have supper together instead. That being said, I think that if my friends were there with me yesterday, I would have had a bit more fun. My hubby's work friends are a lot of fun, though! They seem very nice, but a noisy club isn't very conducive to conversation, so we didn't really get to know each other. I had to rely on my lousy camera-phone for taking pictures, but the other people in our party had cameras, so I'm hoping there won't be any pictures of hubby and I ~~embarassing ourselves~~ dancing and stuff ;p

The best thing I took away from my night out was the reminder that hubby and I do deserve to have fun together, just the two of us, and that its a vital part of our relationship. I think sometimes we let the "fun" part of our relationship fall by the way side as we try to compromise and commit to fun as a family. So, if nights out after the kids are in bed are the only way we can have fun together, then dammit, that's what we'll do ;)

Don't look for more pictures like this anytime soon :p

Crazy week

2010-03-05T15:53:00.001+08:00

Phew...this past week has been CRAZY. I thought I'd have to make an epic blog post about it to make it all make sense but in order not to bore you, I'll whittle it down to the basics.

First thing to happen was Afraz throwing my phone to my right boob. That in itself hurt like heck. Then I developed a fever. Always one to not notice the most obvious things, I didn't think it had anything to do with my boob injury. However, on Saturday, the fever was keeping me from sleeping, and the injured area on my boob had hardened, and - more importantly - my boob was red from the injury down to the nipple. Ouch! I knew then that it was mastitis, and went to the doctor right away, who confirmed it and gave me antibiotics.

"Alrighty then," I thought to myself, "Now that that's all settled, I better get to class." Got in my car, drove peacefully for about 15mins, got to a red light, stopped...and spied in my rear-view mirror, a car careening towards me with no signs of stopping. Before I could say holy cr*p, the car had hit the back of my car. Ugh.

Obviously, there wasn't that much damage. And the guy who hit me was really nice and apologetic about it. I think the fact that I was already dealing with mastitis just compounded with the accident to make it a really bad day. So after the accident, I sent the car to the workshop and went home, fully intending to take a short breather and get into our other car to go to class. In the end, the exhaustion of the day made me so tired I took a nap for the rest of the day. Plus, my lovely babysitters were scheduled to be here all day anyway, so I'm glad I took that much-needed, guilt-free nap.

The days following the accident were pretty painful - my lower back was bothering me, and my boob was still sore. But by Tuesday, my boob was much better, and I finally went to see my chiropractor. The back pain was completely got after an adjustment and an intense session with the TENS machine. I felt great!

Then I...uh..."went to Brazil" (my hubby has been out of town and was due to be back soon lah ;p). After the...uh..."de-forestation" (hahaha), someone from Berita Harian called me. They wanted to do a story on babywearing after seeing our Malaysian Babywearers representatives' talk and reading the press release I wrote on babywearing at the Susuibu.com support group meeting on Sunday. So yesterday (Thursday), my boys and I went for a photoshoot & interview at a national Malay-language newspaper, Berita Harian. Watch out for us in the Ratu section of Berita Harian sometime next week!

This week is a testament to the unpredictability of life. Sometimes I complain about how boring our routines can be, but after a chaotic week like this, I am so glad to get back down to our usual routine life for a little bit! Its a lot easier to be glam when you can rely on a schedule ;)

Babywearing Talk at ibu House

2010-02-24T01:18:00.004+08:00

I was invited by the ladies of the Gentle Birthing Group at ibu House to conduct another babywearing talk there on February 8, 2010. I know, it was quite some time ago, and I totally wanted to write about it the moment I came home, but I didn't want the entry to be without images, so I waited till I got some pics (thanks, Rayhana!), and here I am finally writing about it :) There was a bigger turnout than the previous talk, and we even had vendors attend this time! I really hope the attendees managed to learn more about babywearing, and most of all, that they had lots of fun!

I gave an introductory talk to babywearing, which included topics like the benefits of babywearing, types of carriers, demonstrations of using carriers, and tips on successful and safe babywearing. Then we had a lively Q & A session where mothers asked for personalized tips and opinions on successful babywearing. The energy in the room was fantastic - mothers, mothers-to-be, and even grandmothers, mingled and chatted, and the children were playing with toys, or in the case of Afraz and Aqil, dozing off in a sling and on the floor, respectively.

I would like to thank ibu House for providing the space for me to conduct this talk. For more information about ibu, please visit www.ibufamily.org. It is a fabulous resource for parents in and around KL.

I would also like to thank the Gentle Birthing Group KL, which is a wonderful group of parents who are proponents of gentle birth and natural lifestyle choices. They are the main reason why birthing mothers in KL now have the option of having a water birth! Their Facebook group can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60608451197

Thanks to all the vendors who attended - it was so great to have you all there to provide the attendees with the opportunity to touch, and try, your carriers. I really appreciate your attendance!
Jumpsacbaby: http://www.jumpsacbaby.com
LittlePods: http://www.littlepods.com
Tiny Tapir: http://www.tinytapir.com

FYI, I am available to conduct talks about babywearing, breastfeeding, tandem nursing, cloth diapering and other topics for your group or organization. Feel free to contact me for details!

Demonstrating a Peekaroobaby POUCH

Demonstrating a Jumpsacbaby RING SLING

Joanne of Littlepods demonstrating her Soft-Structured Carrier (SSC)

Syazrina of Jumpsacbay demonstrating her SSC

My favorite carrier - a WRAP or "Simple Piece of Cloth (SPOC)"

Doing a "Front cross carry" with my 4meter Vatanai Maruyama WRAP. It's easier than it looks!

Hands-free and happy!

Activity-filled weekends are the best!

2010-02-22T18:54:00.000+08:00

This past weekend was a flurry of activity, and I absolutely loved it! My husband is outstation, so it was just my parents, myself and the kids. As it goes with my cheapo attitude (I tend to be very...err...budget-conscious), our choices of activities were either cheap or free. Except for food. As a family, we always splurge on food. Life is too short for cheap, unsatisfying meals!

Anyway, first stop on Saturday was Petrosains. For just RM12 per person (for adults, that is. Kids entered free), it was a pretty entertaining 3 hours that we spend there. I used to go there when I was younger. Well, not young young, since I drove myself there *LOL* Aqil had a pretty good time as well, and that's what matters! Afraz, of course, was just happy to be worn and be walked around all day ;)

We then went for dinner at Moussandra, a really nice Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. My parents have been raving about Mediterranean food since they returned from their second honeymoon in Greece, so I searched for Greek restaurants in KL and came upon Moussandra. The food was delish!!! I had the Moussaka, whereas the other people in our party (my SIL's parents joined us) had Seafood Paella, Rack of Lamb and Kebab. Of course we also had an array of tapas to share. For dessert, I had the creme brulee...and it was a perfect end to the feast. I highly recommend Moussandra and look forward to going there again!

After some coffee and a Skype-ing sesh with my bro and SIL at Aunty Azra & Uncle Shukri's place, we headed home. Obviously, the kids fell fast asleep during the drive (thankfully!). It was great that they had enough sleep that night because the following day was planned to be loaded with fun fun fun!

The next day we went for a swim! After our short vacay last month, it was clear that Aqil enjoys playing in swimming pools (every time he takes a bath, he says he is swimming...never mind that he is in 4 inches of water). My little cousins (who are also our new neighbors!) joined Aqil in the water, so we had lots of fun. Afraz stayed with my Dad because he (Afraz, not my Dad) has developed a fear of water. God forbid we ever pass by a water fountain - he goes absolutely berserk!

As we left the pool, Aqil told me he was hungry. He sure wasn't kidding - as we ate later, he finished a plate of rice, some noodles and some bread...and still mentioned he was hungry as we put him back in his stroller!

Anyway, suffice to say, we had a fantastic weekend :D

Here are a few photos from our weekend:

So shallow, but it matters to me!

2010-02-19T23:51:00.000+08:00

My roots are showing.

I'm Asian. My hair is light-ish brown. My real hair is black. So, my roots are showing. And I'm quite upset!

The truth is, no one quite cares because, being an Asian living in an Asian country, everybody knows that I could not possibly be an actually light-brown-haired girl. But its not the roots themselves that are bothering me, per se. What's truly bothering me is the fact that it is such an obvious manifestation of the lack of time I have for myself.

However, with my parents now back from their posting overseas (read: my most trustworthy and reliable babysitters are home!), I look forward to having more me-time. And what does that mean? I get to blow the dust off my hair coloring kit and get my dye on! Let's hope this glam mama can say bye-bye to awful roots by this time next week.

*This unabashedly shallow post was brought to you by a brief moment of insecurity following a day of watching young, perfectly-coiffed girls prancing about The Curve while my hair was an absolute mess.

MIA due to sickness

2010-02-17T20:43:00.001+08:00

...but I managed to accomplish bits and pieces here and there :D

I'm not the type who can sit still, which is why I loathe being sick. I absolutely must do something, anything, during every second of my waking hours. Between my iPhone, knitting and a penchant for singing, I've found a few things to do in the in-between time that I have between chores and caring for the kids. Another favorite is day-dreaming...and planning for making the come true!

What am I going on about? Well, I am a huge fan of Imogen Heap - I'm guessing that most of you haven't heard of her (and if you have, its likely for her crazy - but awesome - awards show dresses) - but I have always been a fan. I remember being 17 and listening to her songs before going out on dates to calm my nerves, and in the car when I'm feeling stressed (although back then she was in the duo Frou Frou).

Recently I found out via FB that she is on tour - and Singapore is one of her stops! I'd be way more excited if she were going to be in Malaysia, but Singapore is as close as she'll ever be for me to able to see her. So in a rare moment of doing something purely for myself, I roped my parents and kids into a mini vacation to Singapore, with Imogen Heap's show being the highlight of the trip (for me) and a trip to Universal Studios being a highlight of the trip for the kids (had to assuage my guilt in some way!). My parents are purely there because they love their only daughter to bits and would do anything for me, bless them.

Other than that, through my parents' huge amount of frequent-flier miles (hmm, wonder how they got all those points *LOL*), the kids and I are tagging along to my dad's work trip to Hong Kong! So I will be going there in about a month or so :D Hong Kong Disneyland, here I come!

I feel so blessed right now to be have the opportunity to do all this. For a long time it seemed like I was just not allowing myself to enjoy life, like I couldn't permit myself to be overly happy with anything. I can't put my finger on what exactly was causing it, but the past few months have seen me consciously making the effort to allow myself to be happy, and darn, with all the good fortune coming way, it seems this new way of thinking is really working out for me!

So this mama is going places, and trying to be glam getting there ;D

P.s: If you have any recs for must-see places in Singapore and HK, feel free to comment!
P.p.s: If you are a fan of Imogen Heap, let's go to her gig together!

Co-sleeping - my history and how it shaped my future

2010-02-10T13:20:00.001+08:00

Today I was abruptly awoken from my deep slumber by the wonderful sound of my toddler's screaming. To be fair, he apparently had a nightmare of some sort involving cars. Sigh. The joy of co-sleeping! Obviously, his baby brother also woke up, and began crying because it was way too early in the morning and such an unpleasant way to greet the new day. At that point, I was like "How in the heck did my parents co-sleep with us for 10 years???".

Yep, you read that right. My brother and I slept in the same room as our parents full-time till we were 10! And even though we each moved into our own rooms after that (on our own accord), we would still fall asleep in our parent's room from time to time, usually after we'd fallen asleep watching a movie. Heck, after we had gotten married to our respective spouses, we pulled them in with us! Haha, that's right, folks! My DH and SIL have slept in the same room as their in-laws, and both not only seem OK with it, but really enjoyed it too. You'll see why when you read on.

I know it sounds pretty crazy, especially in today's world where babies are put in separate rooms from birth onwards, but co-sleeping helped form a very important foundation in our relationship with our parents. To this day we are close to our parents, have a very open line of communication with them, and most importantly, we have high self-esteem and healthy self confidence because our parents always trusted us to make our own decisions (in this case, where we chose to sleep).

For obvious reasons, co-sleeping made us a tight-knit family. We are both close to our parents, and consider them our friends as well as paternal and maternal figures. We are definitely attached to each other, which is not something I see often with my friends' families, where every family member kind of lives their own separate lives, and they only meet each other on special occasions, and even then they dread having to attend!

The long chats in those twilight moments between wake and sleep have also helped to open the doors of communication between us. We know we can talk to our parents about anything. I can honestly say that I have never had to sneak out of the house, or lie to my parents all the time, because I know I can talk to them and can rely on them to set up an open discussion instead of an authoritarian, "because I said so" kind of patronizing approach.

Their open discussion and "family meeting" approach to parenting and making decisions also helped in my challenging teen years, where I was itching to argue about everything and was trying to establish my independence and individuality. By talking with me instead of talking at me, my parents managed appeal to the calmer, pragmatic side of me. Due to my dad's busy work schedule, family meetings were usually at night, and would extend long into the night as I fell asleep, still protesting. I appreciate that they allowed me to stay there in their room, taking up what I now know is precious time that could have been spent without arguing with a loud, obnoxious adolescent!

Being able to choose where we want to sleep was just one of the early seeds of independence that our parents sowed (yes, I know it doesn't seem like the two correlate, but they do!). Freedom of choice is a big deal in our house. We chose where we wanted to sleep when we were younger, but now freedom of choice extends to our academic decisions (both of us were encouraged to study any field we wanted, which we did...not we are both doing our post-grad studies, totally happy with what we are studying!) as well as our choice of occupation, spouses, parenting styles, financial decisions, etc etc. My parents are always there for us, almost like a safety net of sorts, but they never lord over us or breath down our necks, telling us what to do. And I appreciate the no-strings-attached freedom to make my own decision, a seed planted long ago when I was just a baby myself.

These are just some of the reasons I chose to co-sleep with my children. I'll definitely be talking more about our particular situation soon :) But for now I'll let this be a shout-out to my awesome parents - HOLLA! Y'all are awesome, and thanks for choosing to co-sleep. I know you didn't do it to be "AP" (attached parents) but that's exactly what you are, and what I am now, and for that I'm eternally grateful. Stay glam, Mom and Dad!

Do you blog on weekends?

2010-02-09T17:07:00.000+08:00

I find it more difficult to find time to blog on weekends. How about you?

Weekends are crazy for me - I have class on Saturday, and Sunday is family day. By the time the kids are in bed (the usual time I would blog), I am just as exhausted as they are! So I can never find the ~~time~~ energy to blog. I suppose I should just be satisfied with writing a short post or two on weekends, rather than commit to longer posts that I usually end up doing. Or maybe I should write the bulk of my posts off-line on weekdays and just ~~paste~~ post them on my blog on weekends.

I just wanted to jot this down because I'm genuinely curious...some mamas have great, long posts even on weekends! I admire the commitment, ladies!

I've been up to something... ;)

2010-02-05T13:33:00.000+08:00

For the past few months I've been contemplating on becoming a WAHM - like properly, with products and services to offer. So here I shall inform you, that I've neglected to update this blog of mine for the past couple of days because I've been working on my WAHM blog! As of right now, I'm calling it Glam Mama Store - not an awfully inspired title, but gets the point across, yes? I'm hesitant to officially announce it since its not fully ready yet - I've still got a lot to do in preparation. But I'm proud to say I've got a few clients already :D

What do I offer? Mostly its graphic design stuff for print and web use. Birth announcements, birthday invites (or e-vites), flyers, and even restaurant menus. I'm working on blog graphics as well, like headers and backgrounds. This is something I've done as a hobby, for personal use mostly, and I'd like to be able to turn this hobby into a profession.

I'm also offering my speaking services - I've been asked to speak for a lot of organizations, so I might as well make it "official". Some of the topics I've had experience with is (of course), babywearing, cloth diapering, and style. But I'd love to conduct talks on other topics, like breastfeeding (especially tandem nursing and nursing in style) and style during pregnancy. I love giving talks and sharing my experience with people!

Other than that, I'm offering my writing services. I can write pretty much anything, so that will provide a lot of variety in my "job" :) Freelancing is fun (and it is what I've been doing these days) , but having to search and bid for employers all the time seems like a waste of time. I'd rather this be a smaller part of my business, but with clients searching for me because they already like my writing style.

And last, but definitely not least, I am planning on selling some knitted stuff on there :D Since this one is the most time-consuming, I'm concentrating on the other aspects of the business first.

While doing all this, I've finally decided to seriously work on my book. I've always wanted to write a book, and I've come to a realization that its now or never, because there will never be a "right" time to do it.

So, that's what I've been up to lately :) There's a lot for me to learn still about being a WAHM, and I look forward to sharing those experiences with you. Do wish this mama good luck on this exciting (albeit tiring) journey!

Notes on our family vacation

2010-02-02T12:44:00.002+08:00

Allow me, for a moment, to indulge in some vacation pics and stories ;) Here are some choice situations with hilarious one-liners by Aqil, who kept us entertained throughout the weekend.

Aqil having a splash-tastic time swimming - it was his first time in a swimming pool :D

While swimming, DH was splashing me with water, so I told him (DH, not Aqil), “Don’t do that! Time out!”, and he pretended to go to time out. As further proof that toddlers are like sponges, when DH splashed Aqil with water, he promptly told his Daddy, “Don’t do that! Time out!”

At a barbeque dinner, Aqil (without telling anyone!) went up the stage to do the limbo. Haha…so confident! Since he didn’t tell us he wanted to go up, we couldn’t even take a picture.
Not only that, but since he is now apparently a big shot celebrity, I am not allowed to speak to him while he is chatting up girls – without even looking at me, he said “Mom, I’m busy.”

I am still amazed by how much he is grown. In my mind he is still the little baby I used to have to carry around all night because he just won’t stay asleep. Now he’s big enough that, on vacation, he happily fell asleep in the hotel crib (I really didn’t think he would).

Here are other funny bits from our vacation (because, as they say, pictures speak a thousand words):

A sign that we will not have a normal family picture anytime soon, because I apparently gave birth to a lion.

About to throw a tantrum...

And throwing a tantrum!

The kids couldn't take their eyes off of the performances on stage.

Glam Mama’s Makeup Bag … on vacation

2010-02-01T17:29:00.002+08:00

I just came home from a short and sweet weekend vacation. We had fun at the beach, at the swimming pool, and visiting hubby’s relatives. The kids definitely enjoyed the change in scenery! As with all vacations, we took a bucketload of photographs…which meant that this mama had to be camera-ready always.

However, with the kids’ stuff taking up all the space in our bags, it doesn’t leave much room for an arsenal of makeup and “face-paint” tools. So here’s what I manage to stuff in a teeny-tiny makeup bag, and it’s enough to do several make-up looks for day or night.

1. Foundation

I use Bobbi Brown cream foundation. I love the texture because it’s great for my combination skin. Always bring your “usual” foundation when you go on vacation. This is not the time to try something new, only to find that you have an allergic reaction to it (this happened to a friend of mine) or it doesn’t suit your skin type or skin tone.

2. Concealer

I use a concealer kit by Benefit called “Realness of Concealness”…it has an under-eye and eyelid concealer that works wonders as a base for my eye makeup. I also use the under-eye concealer to cover up any blemishes, because a flawless base is the key to looking fresh and polished.

3. Blusher

I love cheek stains! I think that powder blushers tend to be too harsh for day time, although its great for nighttime looks. On vacation, though, I always bring a cheek stain because its so natural-looking for day-time use, and you can put on a few more layers for nighttime looks. My favorites are Benefit’s Benetint, and the stick cheek stain by Bobbi Brown.

4. Eyeliner

Other than foundation, eyeliner is KEY to any makeup look. For Asian eyes, especially, eyeliners help to make eyes look rested. Without eyeliner, I know my eyes look so tired and they kinda fade in pictures. Since eyeliner pencils are small, I always bring one neutral color, and one bright color. Don’t be afraid of brightly colored eyeliners! Used sparingly, they are a nice alternative to eyeshadow. I brought a moss-green, subtle, eyeliner along with a black kohl eyeliner from Sephora. For daytime, I just line my eyes along the lash line for a subtle look. For nighttime, I piled on the black eyeliner, adding a flick at the end for a mod 60s eye look.

5. Mascara

Using mascara will help open up your eyes a bit, especially if your eyelashes are sparse (like mine). Waterproof mascara is a must when on vacation! Believe it or not, my favorite mascara is super-cheap (RM5!) and I bought it at Daiso. Hahaha! I’m saying bye-bye to expensive mascaras that aren’t even as good as my cheapo, made-in-Japan, no-brand mascara ;D

6. Lip gloss

While lipsticks are great for nighttime looks, its difficult to apply on-the-go. That’s why I love pigmented lip gloss – they have just the right amount of color to make sure your lips are “dressed” for day time. However, if you do have evening plans, it would be a good idea to bring a favorite, neutral lip color – something rose-hued is flattering for most skin tones, and is hard to get wrong if you’re in a rush.

7. Eyeshadow

I put this last because I almost forgot to put it in this list, hehe. A vacation is not the time to try out new eyeshadow looks. Bring a neutral eyeshadow compact, and perhaps a gunmetal gray or black eyeshadow just in case you want to go “smokey-eyed” for an evening.

Daytime look - see the green eyeliner? You don't need to be Boy George to play with bright eyeliners ;)

Nighttime look for 70s-themed event - note the emphasis on eyeliner here too. Easy shortcut to a glam look.

I hope this helps you mamas when you’re traveling and want to look good for your vacation pictures! I truly believe that less is more when it comes to makeup, and with kids hounding you while you’re getting ready, less is more practical too!

Mom-petitions: The bane of a mother's social life

2010-01-29T15:55:00.000+08:00

I hate mom-petitions, and the moms who participate in them - "mom-petitors", I call them.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not talking about moms who enter their kids' photos in blog contests and giveaways, or to a magazine. That's fine by me. I'm not talking about moms who blog about their kids either - your blog is yours to write what you please, and if it means talking all about your lil one all the time, by all means, do it! I actually enjoy reading those blogs. I don't even mean the moms who take part in mom pageants - honestly, I wish I had the guts to join those.

What I am talking about is the moms who go out of their way to talk about their kids in relation to other moms' (preferably inferior) kids. You know what I'm talking about, right? Don't deny it!

These are the moms who will call you with the apparent purpose of "just catching up" but will somehow steer the conversation towards the kids' development. The subsequent conversation would go something like this:

Mom-petitor: "So what is your little guy able to do now?".

You (very geniunely and sincerely answering her question - so naive!): "Oh, he's already sitting up on his own/crawling/cruising!"

Mom-petitor (almost unable to suppress the glee in their voice): "Oh really?? Well my guy is already walking".

You: "Err...That's great!" (thinking to self: "OMG is my child developmentally challenged??!??!")

Mom-petitor (with a voice dripping with fake sympathy): "Oh, I'm sure its no problem...every child develops at his own pace, you know".

The conversation will usually end on that note since she will have "won" that battle and would like to now bask in the glory of being #1 Mom in her head.

I must admit, I think we all have that natural curiosity about how well our kids are doing developmentally, compared to other kids. But most of us manage to stop ourselves from deliberately pitting our kids against each other because, really, whose battle is it? The kids couldn't care less! Its us moms who feel so insecure, when in actuality our kids developmental milestones have got little to do with our standard of parenting. No matter what we do, a kids is gonna walk when he is prepared to, grow his first tooth when he's ready, and learn to potty when he's willing to make the effort.

There is no point in going crazy over whether your child is reaching his milestones on time, or late, or exceedingly early. So don't play the mom-petition game. All it does is increase your self-esteem temporarily at the price of making another mom worry unnecessarily.

Even worse, if this kind of mom-petition goes on till the child gets older, it will affect the children significantly. ad We've all borne witness to that aunty down the road who comes over just to tell our mom that her son got straight A's in his exams, and wants to know how many A's you got. Or your mom's cousin who "complains" that her daughter doesn't spend enough time with her because she's so busy practicing to be a world-class pianist. How did that make you feel?

So do us all a favor and think before you speak. Let our generation be the one with cool moms who are there to support, encourage and love each other, mother-to-mother. Because we are the only ones who "get it" and have the power to change this mom-petition mindset that is synonymous with the culture of "aunties" past.

Glam mamas don't need mom-petitions to prove their glamourous-ness! We're glam as we are, and there's nothing mom-petitions can do to prove otherwise ;D

My Cloth Diaper Stash

2010-01-27T17:13:00.000+08:00

Since I just spent the last half hour stuffing my diapers, I thought now would be a good time to write about my cloth diaper stash. If you haven't read it already, here is a post I made about the reasons I use cloth diapers.

Now, before you get shocked by the sheer amount of diapers I own, please bear in mind that:

I have TWO kids in diapers
A lot of my stash are pre-loved diapers, so I got them on the cheap
I tried out a lot of diapers in my early cloth-diapering days, and kept them "just in case". I'm ashamed to say that quite a few diapers are rarely used...
BUT I keep those diapers for demo use to show to mamas who are interested in cloth-diapering

So now that I'm done with justifying my embarrassingly huge diaper stash, lets get onto the list, shall we? There's no real order to this list, but generally the ones on top are the most frequently used (which is why I can recall their brands first). Also, the quantities, especially the larger numbers, are just an estimate, because I haven't really kept count.

POCKET DIAPERS

Bumgenius 3.0 One-Size - 2 dozen pcs - Velcro
Happy Heiny One-Size - A dozen pcs -Velcro
Blueberry Dekuxe One-Size -Velcro
Blueberry Size M - 3 pcs - Snaps
Coolababy One-Size - 3 pcs - Snaps

All-In-Ones / All-In-Twos (AIOs / AI2s)

Rumparooz - Size M & L
Itty Bitty D'Lish - Size L
Bumkins - Size M

Fitteds

Motherease One-Size - 4 pcs
Diaperaps Hemp Organic Size 2 - 1 pc
FreshBots - Size M - 2 pc, Size L - 4 pcs

Prefolds

Thirsties Fitteds - Preemie - 6 pcs, Infant - 36 pcs
Assorted Infant & Toddler sized plain & embellished prefolds bought from the US

Flats

A whole bunch of them, some plain, some printed - There may be at least 50 pcs of these in our house

Covers

Motherease M Size- 3 pcs
Thirsties Small Size- 4 pcs
Wonder Wraps One-Size

Most of the time I use the pockets. Once in a while, when I've run out of pockets (yes, its possible when you have poop-making machines who go several times a day like mine), I use the AIOs/AI2s. My next choice after that is fitteds + covers.

Aqil wearing his custom embroidered Wonder Wrap Cover with a fitted diaper underneath

We use fitteds and knitted wool pants (often called 'longies' in the cloth-diapering world) for Afraz at night, which is AMAZING because it doesn't leak (I will definitely write about that one day).

Afraz wearing the longies that I knitted

The prefolds and flats were used mostly during Afraz' first month because he couldn't yet fit into any other diapers.

1-week-old Afraz in a Snappi'd Preemie-sized Prefold

I'll write a review for the diapers in my stash one of these days. Till then, please refrain from gossiping about this crazy mama with a crazy large diaper stash ;)

Tandem Nursing: Part 2 - Nursing a Baby and a Toddler

2010-01-26T23:34:00.002+08:00

As promised, here's Part 2 of my musings on tandem nursing. You can find Part 1 here.

When my milk came in after Afraz was born, Aqil went a little crazy with the breastfeeding. He didn't even care that he had to share with his brother, as long as he got the "duwishus nenen" (delicious milk). Think about it: he continued to nurse all through pregnancy despite not getting any milk, or very little milk. Of course the incredibly rich, sweet, newborn milk was just irresistible to the lil guy. There were times when he would be "mabuk susu" (milk drunk). It was quite hilarious.

Another aspect that I caught me off guard despite reading about it before, was the change in Aqil's poop! He started passing runny newborn poop again. Also, he put on weight and regained his baby rolls...despite hardly eating any solids, because he just wanted to nenen all the time.

Naturally, his enthusiastic nursing, along with that of my always-hungry newborn, only helped to increase my supply. Words cannot describe how proud, thankful and amazed I was that my body was providing more than enough nourishment for my two children. It was surreal!

However, in the first month post-partum, I still experienced traces of agitation. Along with volatile post-partum hormones and the lack of sleep that is par of the course in caring for a newborn, I was quite moody. Strangely enough, though, the feeling was not as bad as when I gave birth to Aqil - I had such major baby blues that time, it almost prompted DH to bring me to the hospital. This time around my moodiness was bearable, and in fact most of the time I felt quite happy. I suspect it had something to do with round-the-clock nursing. Increase in the pleasure hormones, y'know?

Anyhow, after the first month, the feeling of agitation vanished, as did my moodiness, and I began to get into the groove of being a mom to two young children. Along with easing into our routines, I was getting used to breastfeeding two children. For the first three months or so, tandem nursing went without a hitch. It was quite a blessing to have them both nursing together most of the time, because it meant that I would get frequent breaks during the day where I can just relax and not have to chase after Aqil. There were times when they would fall asleep together at the breast, which was awesome because obviously it meant that mama can have a power nap as well ;)

Since I have a short and narrow (shall we just say petite?) torso, it meant that a double cradle position was impossible from the start.

Picture from KellyMom

So for nursing while sitting up, I would opt for having Afraz in cradle position, and Aqil in modified football hold.

Picture from KellyMom

But as Afraz got older and bigger, things got a little more complicated. He began kicking his brother, which I can't blame him for since essentially his legs were being pushed in when they could be hanging off to the side if his brother wasn't there. Aqil obviously didn't enjoy this either. So then I adapted further by having Aqil stand up to nurse, while I continued to cradle Afraz. This was fine and all for the kids, but not so great for longer sessions because I had to lean to the front a little, and that hurt my back.

To this day, each tandem nursing involves an array of positioning possibilities. Most days its trial and error, other days we find the ideal position from the start. But now that Aqil is less inclined to have longer nursing sessions, its a lot easier to position ourselves since I now he'll only be around for like 1/3 of the session.

As of this past week, my main issues with tandem nursing are the flailing hands of the kids. Afraz starts grabbing at Aqil, who starts to swat Afraz' hand off, which gets Afraz upset and causes him to unlatch, which makes me annoyed, and so on and so forth. There are days, however, when they peacefully hold hands or rub each other's faces. I remember back when Afraz was a newborn, Aqil would rub his arms and his hair till he fell asleep :D I live for moments like that.

Honestly, if anyone asks me whether I regret tandem nursing, I would answer with a resounding NO. I love it! Our experience has had its fair share of hardships, but none of it can outweigh the positive benefits all three of us have received. Both kids are happy, healthy, and close, whereas my life is convenient (in case of toddler meltdown, I still have the boobs to ply him *LOL*), peaceful (seriously, I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to be able to get Aqil to quiet down for just 5 minutes of nursing) and full of gratitude to be able to witness the brotherly bonding that goes on between my two boys when they are breastfeeding together.

So, to all the glam mamas out there who might be in the same position I was all those months ago - pregnant and still breastfeeding - know that you have a choice. There is no wrong or right. It all depends on your situation, how you feel about the possibility of tandem nursing/nursing while pregnant, and the status of your new pregnancy (higher-order multiples and high-risk pregnancies run the risk of multiple complications that can be further exacerbated by breastfeeding). The most important things is to educate yourself. Read a book, do some research, ask around. Then go to your chosen OB-GYN (who is, hopefully, pro-breastfeeding) armed with all these info so that you can have a sound, educated, well-rounded discussion about your choices.

Pictures in this post are courtesy of KellyMom

For more info please check out KellyMom's "Nursing For Two" section here

Tandem Nursing: Part 1 - Breastfeeding while pregnant

2010-01-25T21:02:00.001+08:00

Remember how I had mentioned that my eldest son, Aqil, has weaned? Well, a couple of weeks after I wrote that post, he un-weaned! Apparently it is entirely normal for a child to un-wean, especially if the weaning itself was not achieved with a conscious, deliberate effort. I should've guessed he'd un-wean, though. That child has been obsessed with breastfeeding since birth!

So now I am back to tandem nursing again. Some of you already know of my tandem nursing adventures, but some don't, so I might as well talk about it here :)

When I found out I was pregnant with my second son, Afraz, my eldest was just 10 months old. Seeing as how I am passionate about breastfeeding and am determined to breastfeed all my children until at least two years old, the first question I asked myself was: Can I continue to breastfeed while pregnant?

That's Aqil and I, when I was three months pregnant

I knew from my forays into natural parenting forums that many mothers tandem nurse (or even tri-andem nurse - nursing MORE than two at once!), but I am the type of person who just doesn't trust anecdotal evidence 100%. After a quick search with Google for more info, I stumbled upon an article on Kelly Mom co-authored by Hilary Flower. It turns out she had written a book about tandem nursing & nursing while pregnant, entitled Adventures in Tandem Nursing. I immediately called Kinokuniya and put in an order for the book!

While I waited for the book to arrive, I confidently breastfed Aqil, knowing that any risks mentioned by nay-sayers have no real basis in an entirely normal pregnany (which mine was, as far as anyone could tell). After I got the book, I read it all at once. The book made every breastfeeding decision I made from that day so easy!

In the first trimester of pregnancy, I was experiencing some pretty harsh morning sickness. The heat here didn't make it any better - in fact, I fainted a couple of times while outdoors. Not at all glam, I assure you. In addition to all this, I was also experiencing some intense agitation issues. I don't know how to describe it fully, but its a sudden feeling of annoyance, aggression, depression...an amalgam of negative emotions really, and it only happens when I breastfeed. After the breastfeeding session, I would start feeling like my normal self again. I found out through research that it is normal for some mamas to experience this, but that didn't help to diminish the feeling at all.

Anyhow, I pulled through the first trimester despite the agitation and morning sickness, and moved on to the "honeymoon period" that is the second trimester. Morning sickness was gone, as was the agitation...but unfortunately, my milk dried up. Now, keep in mind that some mamas have milk throughout their entire pregnancy, and some find that their milk is gone from the first trimester onwards. So each mother is unique. For me, the second trimester signaled the absence of milk.

That didn't change the frequency of Aqil's feeding, though. He continued to breastfeed as if nothing had happened! At this point, I began instituting the 5-second countdown. What's that exactly? Well, when I felt as if the session had gone on long enough, or if I started feeling uncomfortable (its really hard to negotiate a comfy position between a wriggly toddler and a big pregnant belly), I would count down 5-4-3-2-1. At times I would do it slowly, at other times it'd be quick. Aqil was resistant to this at first, but eventually he got the idea of it, and to this day we still do the countdown.

Its a good thing I did it, too, because agitation returned with a vengeance in my third trimester! And with it, came my milk. I personally think that the agitation is hormonal and is related to my letdown, but I'm not entirely sure. Anyhow, I made full use of the countdown in the third trimester. Between my about-to-pop belly and agitation, breastfeeding was borderline unbearable. But for some reason, I still went with it. Mostly it was because I really really wanted to breastfeed Aqil till he was at least two years old. Another reason was because I did not want him to feel that the weaning had anything at all with the new human being about to enter our household. However, during this time, Aqil had cut down on breastfeeding a LOT. He would nurse maybe once or twice a day, and I remember being genuinely worried and upset about that, because I thought he was going to wean. Obviously, that didn't happen ;)

One thing I have to mention here, though. One of the best experiences in the time I was nursing while pregnant, happened around the time I was about to give birth. I was nursing Aqil, and all of a sudden, the baby kicked him from inside me! Aqil immediately latched off, and stared at my belly. It was the first time that breastfeeding played a part in their brotherly bonding, and it was such a profound moment for me, as it cemented my determination to nurse both my babies indefinitely!

Come March 11, 2009, I gave birth to my second child, Afraz Alman. He was a champion breastfeeder from birth! Not more than ten minutes after he was born, he latched on confidently, and in that moment, I officially became a tandem nursing mother.

Tandem nursing both children simultaneously didn't happen till Afraz was about a week old, if I recall correctly. Aqil woke up grumpy and wanting to nurse in the early morning, and I happened to be nursing Afraz while lying on my side. So I told Aqil to come around behind me and latch on from the top, and he did it (this is called a perch position for breastfeeding).

My first time tandem nursing - had to take a pic!

Tandem nursing a baby and a toddler comes with all sorts of issues - both positive and negative. I'll write more about that in Part 2 :) Stay tuned!

Tandem nursing my kids

Back in the game!

2010-01-25T14:05:00.000+08:00

First of all, Happy New Year! I know I am way behind on wishing y'all, but better late than never, eh? ;)

I've been pretty swamped with assignments, writing and speaking jobs, house-hunting and, of course, being a mama to my boys. However, I've now vowed to update this blog every day! Honestly, writing is cathartic to me and I don't do it for myself often enough. So I really must do it more often.

You know what else I realized during my absence? I haven't told you all that much about what I do. Well, frankly, I don't have an official job description and actually have hard time describing what I do...but I'll try here.

In a nutshell: I work from home as a freelance writer, speaker and public relations specialist.

I write articles for both web and print media. Most of it has been about parenting and natural lifestyle, but I've written about other topics as well.

Most of my speaking engagements have been about natural lifestyle and parenting choices too (most of the time its an overlap of the two topics). I've done some emcee-ing in the past, and enjoy that too, but a lot of companies like to hire in-house for that these days.

I also do PR work for Malaysian Babywearers and other clients (not at liberty to say), and its really a passion of mine. I majored in PR and I genuinely enjoy it. I'm not a 9-to-5er, though, so I highly doubt I'll ever work as a high-flying executive of a PR agency.

Although these jobs don't pay much now (some don't pay at all!), I look at them as building blocks for my career plans in the future. What might that include, you wonder? Well I would love to write books, and magazine articles. I'd love to teach, whether through ad-hoc speaking engagements or as a lecturer. I'd love to do some theatre or TV on the side (another long-abandoned passion of mine..the hours are too odd). There are many things I'd love to do...in the near future.

For now, my main focus is to be a glam mama for my two kids...and even though I can't exactly put that on my resume, its the accomplishment I am most proud of!

p.s: if anyone has a need to hire me for any of the jobs mentioned above, i won't say no!

Why do I cloth diaper?

2009-12-16T21:56:00.001+08:00

There has been much ado about my choice to cloth diaper my kids. I've had to field weird questions and surprisingly ignorant remarks from many people, although now that I've found many other parents who share the same passion (some of whom I helped convert to cloth diapers ;p), I've found that I've needed to explain myself a lot less. That being said, I hope this post helps to educate at least one more person about why I, as a mother, have chosen to cloth diaper my children.

A little background on how I came to know about cloth diapers. My brother & I were fully cloth-diapered when we were babies. The only reason, according to my mother, was financial constraints. So I grew up knowing that I was in cloth once all those years ago. When I was pregnant with Aqil in the US, my mom sent over a box of baby stuff - including old-fashion flat cloth diapers (also known as lampin in Malay). When she came over a few months later, she showed me how to fold them...and I promptly informed her that it takes too much time, I'm lazy and I will just use disposable diapers.

Come August 10, 2007, I became a mother. Between a difficult start to breastfeeding and my baby's short stay in the NICU, I could not be bothered to think about researching diapering options. As far as I knew, the flat diapers are cloth diapers, and all other diapers were disposable. Boy, was I ignorant!

Cut to four months later. My kid was having to endure frequent diaper rashes, despite my strict 2-hour rule (baby must be changed every two hours and cannot be allowed to stay in a diaper for any longer than that). Add to that the huge expense that we incurred from the use of high-end disposable diapers, and the amount of trash we had to throw out every single day. I knew there had to be a better way! Coincidentally at this time I was active on the TBW forum. Many of the mamas on there practiced other natural parenting techniques, including cloth diapers. I couldn't fathom why these mothers would put themselves through the inconvenience of folding flat diapers at every change...so I started doing some research.

I was so surprised by the huge range of options when it comes to cloth diapers. Prefolds, pockets, all-in-ones, wool covers, PUL covers...my oh my! After a week of researching, I ended up getting more and more confused. So I turned to my friend, Jess, for some clarity. To this day, I credit her for converting me to use cloth diapers :) So around the time Aqil was 5 months old, he was in cloth diapers. Afraz started as soon as he got back from the hospital, at three days old.

So why do I use cloth diapers?

I am no longer literally throwing my money in the trash bin. If I were to calculate the price-per-use of my cloth diapers (which gets LOWER with every use) versus the price-per-unit of disposable diapers (which always stays the same), the clear winner would be cloth! CLICK HERE for a basic comparison of dispos VS cloth in terms of $$$, and CLICK HERE for a personalized calculation for dispos VS cloth.
I've noticed that the frequency of diaper rashes in my kids are much less when wearing cloth diapers. I change them every 2-3 hours no matter what diaper they are wearing, so there's no difference there. I admit that this might have something to do with their sensitive skin, as opposed to the inferiority of dispos, but its one of the main reasons I stick to cloth.
On a similar note, I think that cloth diapers are more comfortable against my kids' bottoms that disposables. There are a few reasons for this. I used to use disposable pads during menstruation. For that one week that I am menstruating, I have to put up with major discomfort on my va-jay-jay - disposable pads caused rashes, made me feel hot (in a bad way) and always felt scratchy, no matter what brand I tried. So the thought of putting my kid in disposable diapers always brought back memories of that, and they have to put up with it for much longer than I do - I can't imagine going 24/7/365 for 2-3yrs with that feeling. YUCK! Also, Aqil is old enough to tell me that he finds dispos really uncomfortable. And apparently it gives him wedgies (which happened to me too).
It really is better for the environment. Ever since I became a mother, this saying has held a lot of importance to me and has become a profound influence on my life: "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children". I'd like to do my best to make sure that my children and grandchildren don't end up living amongst landfills full off feces- and urine-filled disposable diapers that they had themselves used as babies.
Cloth diapers are SO CUTE! They come in myriad patterns, and allow for customization of your baby's style ;) Disposable diapers are so...generic. Anyone who likes to flaunt individual style would love the stylishness of cloth diapers. Plus their cuteness makes diaper changes a little more exciting (which diaper shall I put him in this time?)
I don't have to worry about running out of diapers. If I see my "inventory" is low, I just wash a few diapers and I'm ready to go. When I had a dryer, it was even easier because I knew that within an hour (half hour to wash, half hour to dry), my kid would have diapers to use. No need to go out in the middle of the night and/or during a blizzard or a thunderstorm to find diapers at the supermarket only to find out they've run out of stock for your kid's size! Plus I use mostly one-size diapers (that can be used from newborn-to-toddlerhood), which means I never have to worry about wasting unused diapers when my kids get bigger and move up a size (I had to give away a whole carton of newborn-sized disposable diapers because Aqil grew out of them so quickly and I didn't get to use them).
Using one-size diapers means my kids can share diapers. Having two babies in diapers could've done a lot to my wallet, but since they are both in cloth diapers AND they share most of their diapers, I've saved a lot of money.

These are just my own personal reasons for using cloth diapers for my two sons. Other people may have different reasons to use them, or even NOT to use them, but for our family, cloth diapers work. And plus, cloth diapers are way more glam than disposable diapers, and no one can argue with that! ;)

Vacay!

2009-12-09T12:21:00.001+08:00

I just got back from vacation, which should explain my absence. It was wonderful, albeit tiring, to travel across continents with my two lil ones (sans husband). I must admit it was definitely more difficult being a glam mama when I was jetlagged and exhausted from getting zero sleep on the flights. That being said, I'm glad I took the time to put my face paint on for vacation pics!

Here are a few choice pictures of me doing what I love most - breastfeeding and babywearing...and mostly doing both at once ;) My other passion - cloth diapers - aren't pictured because, sadly, we didn't use any the entire duration. There was no convenient laundering solution, and there was also very little space in our bags to put them. I was kinda sad about that since I was planning to blog about how to cloth diaper on vacation :/

Anyhoo, onto the NIP (nursing in public) pictures!

That's me feeding Afraz his lunch at Garfunkel's while the

adults (and his big brother) were eating our lunch.

My tips? While on vacation, make life easier by wearing comfortable, easy-to-use, nursing tops. Also, practice nursing discreetly at home - figure out how big the nursing opening needs to be for your babe to nurse comfortably, and also how to prevent your baby from getting too distracted by other things (and subsequently unlatching frequently). The weeks before your vacation is also a great time to introduce nursing manners, if you haven't already. This means teaching them not to bite, pinch, lift your shirt, etc. Anything that has been annoying you will lead to an all-out meltdown when you're stressed out by other things on vacation.

That's me nursing Afraz in his carseat

and protecting my putera lilin's (a boy who doesn't like

being exposed to the sun's rays) eyes from the sun.

I am a firm believer that babies and toddlers need to be in carseats for their safety and the safety of others in the car, no matter what the legal status of carseat use is in a particular country.So what to do when your baby is in the carseat and needs to nurse? This is something I do often, not just on vacation, so I had it mastered already. As with other things, practice makes perfect. Nursing tops or loose tops that can be lifted easily, are ideal for this. Just perch yourself onto the side of the carseat, and latch your baby on! For older babies in front-facing carseats, you could probably distract them with other snacks, which brings me to another important thing for traveling with kids: BRING FOOD. Lots and lots and lots and lots of food.

That's me nursing Afraz in a sling in a couple of locations in London.

First of all, babywearing while vacationing in a big city is a no-brainer. It makes life infinitely easier and much more convenient. Learning to nurse your baby in a sling makes vacation an absolute breeze! Practice nursing your baby in your sling of choice (find pictures and videos of how to do this on TheBabywearer and YouTube) before you go on vacation. If you'd like some privacy while latching on, just turn away towards a wall or something, and once your baby is latched on, go on and walk around knowing your baby is being nourished while you spend all your savings on shopping.

Thanks to Iva for pointing out this statue! Its a statue in front of Buckingham Palace.

This statue is mentioned here (thanks, Julie!). During my research, I found a quote on this blog:

"...I sat at the steps of the statue facing the palace, if the Queen had chosen to look out of her state balcony she would have seen not one, but two breatfeeding mothers one alive and kicking and the other? A statue, for the one above me is of a women breastfeeding her toddler!!! If the Monarch of our realm can look out at this everyday if she so wishes why can't the rest of this prudish country get over it and stop harassing women for doing the natural, most beneficial, most wonderful thing for their children..."

Couldn't have said it better myself!

So, go on and have a glamorous vacation with your babies. If I can do it, any glam mama can!

Contemplation about growing older...

2009-11-11T11:58:00.001+08:00

I'll be celebrating my birthday in about a month. One year older. Its made me think about life, and aging, a little bit.

To those of you who know me personally, you probably know my age. I'm not old - in fact, most people are surprised by how young I really am (I dare not ponder whether my appearance lends anything to people's assumption about my age, in a negative way!). But in terms of where my life is, I am definitely "older". Most people my age are still single, having late nights out at clubs, spending money on designer clothes, etc. Meanwhile, I'm married, having later nights in trying to get my two kids in bed, and I spend my money of baby stuff.

Don't get me wrong - I love it! I've always known I'd be a young mom. Its always been a part of me - this maternal instinct. But now that I am getting on with age, I keep thinking more and more about what the numbers of my age represent. Clearly they do not indicate anything about where anyone should be in life. So what do they mean?

Wisdom? I can't pretend I'm any wiser than the next person. I may know more about certain things than other people, but there are plenty of others who know more about, say, science, than I do. I also make stupid mistakes every day. Some days I make a lot of them, some days less. Whatever it is, although it may upset me (or someone else) in that moment, it does serve to remind me that I am not perfect, and that I shouldn't ever pretend to be. I do know enough to know that I (and others, ideally) should never serve judgment on other people's decisions, never discriminate others just because they don't live the way I do, and always, always, remember that everyone makes mistakes.

Clarity about where I'm going in life? Hah! I am just as clueless as anyone else about where my life is headed. I live day by day, and I try to make sure each day is lived like its my last, because (pardon me for being a little bit morbid) it very well could be. The "future" is non-existent. I can try and plan as best I can - save up for the children's education, pursue my own education so that I may have a more desirable career, plan to get a house, a car, all those things that come with being a family - but the fact of the matter is, I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen tomorrow, or a year from now, or ten years down the line. Who does? (Seriously, who does? I'd like to have a word with them about how much weight I'll put on by then and whether they've come up with a miracle cream to banish wrinkles. And cellulite).

Becoming more skillful? I like to think that my writing is getting better with age, or that the things I make look better now than they did before. I'd like to think that I've improved most of my skills over the years. But actually, I think that as I get older, I get a little less creative - there just isn't enough time or free space in my brain! I may be better at knitting, but I'm a lot more hesitant about free-styling anything, because I don't know what it'd end up looking like, and it would just be a "waste of time". How sad is that? I observe my children now, who do anything for the sake of the experience, and not the end product. Take my toddler, for instance. He builds something with his Lego blocks, or scribbles something on paper with his crayons, and when he's done, he takes a moment to admire and ponder his creation, and proudly announces what it is - as if he had any idea what he was creating all along!

What I do know is that with age, my wishlist for my birthday is being filled with more intangibles than it is tangible, purchasable, stuff. I crave stability, more patience, more love and positivity in my life. I want peace and harmony in my household, creativity and tenacity in my children, and clarity and wisdom in myself. And the strangest thing of all, the thing that has truly shown me that I am at a turning point my life, is that I wish all these thing for everyone else too.

So here's to growing older - and becoming a more glamorous mama - year by year!

That's me pointing at the pouty and moody three-year-old me in a family photo

Cloth Pads - My Post-Partum Experience

2009-11-04T13:22:00.002+08:00

I posted this on Facebook a few months ago, and thought it'd be a good idea to post it here too :)

WARNING: IF YOU ARE QUEASY ABOUT BLOOD AND MENSTRUATION FOR WHATEVER REASON, PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. IF YOU ARE A GUY, I DON’T MIND YOU READING, BUT BE AWARE THAT THOSE TOPICS ARE DISCUSSED HERE. I WROTE THIS FOR WOMEN, BUT IF A MAN WANTS TO EDUCATE HIMSELF, MORE POWER TO HIM. AND HEY, MAYBE HE CAN GET HIS WIFE/FIANCEE/GIRLFRIEND TO USE CLOTH PADS.

I used cloth pads for my entire post-partum period – roughly 40days long. I used them from Day 2 onwards because even after one night in disposables, I felt horribly uncomfortable! I found that cloth pads were amazingly comfortable, and most importantly, are just as (if not more!) effective than disposables. I did not have a single leak in the 40 days that I used cloth pads. And you can just imagine how comfortable cloth was against my vajayjay when it was in such a sensitive condition.

FYI, I changed my pad every 6-8 hours. Cleaning methods are as such: When I go to change my pad, I rinse the used one with cold water (this is important, as hot water sets stains) and a little bit of hand soap. I rinsed till the water ran clear – which means there is no more blood in the pad. Then I wring it till its not sopping wet, and put it into a wetbag. In my case, since both my boys are in cloth diapers, we already have a wetbag, so I put it into there (yes, along with their dirty diapers). We do diaper laundry daily, so the 3-4pads that I used that day get washed the next morning. There isn’t a single stain on any of my diapers and they smell and feel as good as new.

For those who are “grossed out”, let me assure you, there is nothing gross about cloth pads. Unless you use tampons or menstrual cups (yay), your blood is going to come out of your vajayjay and it has to land somewhere. When you rinse your pads, one thing that will strike you is the fact that it does not smell. I remember, with disposable pads, the smell was awful! And I had always attributed it to the blood. But from my research, it turns out that the chemicals in disposable pads are what caused the stench. So the blood that comes out of your pad when you rinse, is just blood. If, for some reason, you are icked out by the thought of touching your own blood with your hands, you can rinse them in the shower. Just put ‘em on the floor under the shower flow, and it’ll wash it out by the time you’re done. You can step on it a little to help the blood flow out.

If you are icked out by the fact that pads have to go into the washing machine, remember that every time you throw your underwear or stained bedsheets in there, there is some of your waste in there. Blood, discharge, urine, poop, vomit…that’s all your bodily waste and they aren’t that different from each other. I’m sure many of you have put materials with those things on them, into your washing machine. Anyway, please remember that the function of a washing machine is to get your garments clean. If you are still icked out by the thought of putting your used (but already clean – you rinsed it, remember?) pads in your washing machine, you can hand-wash them.

Now, onto the review! I did a lot of searching, and I bought pads of different materials, levels of absorbency and prices. I bought a few of each to get bulk discounts (I love me a bargain). Most people recommend that you try one of each brand/design before buying more of it, but I was lucky because it turns out each pad I bought were good in their own way – there was not a single one that sucked. Except for the ones with Velcro – never buy pads with Velcro! I am changing those to snaps ASAP. If you are wondering about the different prices, the expensive ones are imported, and the cheap ones are made locally. FYI, I didn’t find much difference between the imported ones and the locally-made ones. Also, these reviews are in random order. So #1 doesn’t mean it’s the best, and vice versa.

1. Cyclez All-in-one Overnight/Postpartum Pads

http://www.tinytapir.com/item.php?item_id=815&category_id=152

These are backed with PUL (waterproof material) and were my favorites for the first few days of heavy flow. Since they are PUL-backed, I was confident that I would have no leaks, and I was right. The absorbent top layer was really absorbent. The first time I used them (which is the first time I used cloth pads for any bleeding at all), I was like “Wait a sec, am I bleeding or not??” because you couldn’t see anything on the surface. They are also thin, and long enough to use overnight. They were a bit wide, but when your are experiencing heavy flow, you’d likely be wearing wider underwear anyway.

2. Saffa Cloth Pads – Overnight & Heavy Pads

http://mum7kids.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-03-14T08%3A46%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

I was pleasantly surprised by this locally-made pads. Very comfortable, and the material is soft. They are a bit thick, so I didn’t really wear them out of the house (visible panty lines are one thing, visible pad lines are just unacceptable). But they did the job and are of excellent quality. Workmanship was superb (to my untrained eye, at least). I should also mention that the vendor is very nice, helpful and accommodating. Also, she offers discounts for bulk buys, which is always a plus. I recommend that you DO NOT get the Velcro ones. Spend that extra couple of ringgit on snaps. Velcro rubbed against the skin on my inner thigh when it wasn’t on just right, and it was very very unpleasant, as you can imagine.

3. Moonbow – Large Velour Pads

http://www.tinytapir.com/item.php?item_id=418&category_id=152

The surface of these pads are made of velour, which is sooooooooooooooo soft to the touch. Once blood is on it, it doesn’t stay so soft, but of course I remained comfortable regardless. I liked the length for heavy flow, but it wasn’t long enough (to me) for heavy overnight bleeding. I should’ve bought the XLarge ones for that purpose. I used these overnight only towards the end of my post-partum period, when the flow wasn’t as heavy.

4. Pleat – Overnight/Post-partum pads

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5978008

I bought these for no other reason than the cuteness of the fabric! It turns out that its also too short for me to use overnight with heavy bleeding. Like the Moonbow velour pads, I did use them overnight eventually, when my flow was less heavy. The fabric is comfortable enough against my skin (it wasn’t super-soft or anything), and its thin enough to wear when going out. I really enjoyed taking these out for use, because the prints were so adorable *LOL* Seller offers bulk discounts, but she is in the States so unless you catch her “free shipping” promotion (which I did), you’ll have to pay for international shipping charges.

5. Snexy – Overnight & Day pads

http://snuggbaby.com/category/super-sexy-snugg-snexy-from-rm800/

I bought these just as I was about to give birth, as that was when the maker started making these. She also offers bulk discounts. I really like the simplicity and elegance of the design. The sewing did come out a bit by the end of my post-partum period, but since this was the first batch that she made, I think that it is to be expected. It did not affect their functionality at all. These pads are also thin, so I could wear them while going out.

P.S: I also use cloth pantyliners sometimes, and most of these brands offer those. They are also great for that last day of your period when you aren’t bleeding that much, but you still need some protection.

Sorry I was MIA!

2009-10-26T13:54:00.001+08:00

So, its been a little while since my last post. I warned y'all early on - there are gonna be times when I can't update because the kids are sick - and that's exactly what happened. Both lads had the flu, and it was Afraz' first time getting sick (7.5mos is a pretty impressive amount of time for a baby to be perfectly healthy and I couldn't be happier about that!), so it was a pretty hard week. Fortunately, I had no class the first Saturday of their flu due to Diwali holidays, so hubby and I could look after them ourselves...although we were a little disappointed that our entire weekend was gone to giving the kids warm sponge-baths and administering medicine in a torture-like manner (if you were to go by the pitch and volume of their screams). Thankfully, both kids are much better now and are back to fighting over toys and crying if I leave a room (who knew separation anxiety could hit a 2.5yr old and 7.5mo old at the same time?).

Aside from nursing the kids back to health (in the literal sense in the littlest one's case), I did manage to get in some knitting time. Its much easier to drop my knitting when the kids need me compared to lifting my laptop off my lap, onto the coffee table, and crawling down to get them. Most of my time, however, was spent cuddling the little guys and making them laugh.

I notice that making them laugh just gets their mind off the pain, whether it is because they are sick, or bumped into something, or just having a plain ole temper tantrum (having a toddler means plenty of the latter). After all, they say laughter is the best medicine. Plus it helps me not get too stressed out myself. Sometimes while one or both of them are crying, I can feel my blood pressure starting to rise and my patience running thin. But then I take a deep breath and think: what would yelling do to the situation? More often than not, getting angry, yelling, etc, will only serve to release your frustration slightly and make the situation all the more dramatic and prolonged.

What I try to do is take everything with a dollop of humor and a huge dose of a reality check. The fact of the matter is, kids get frustrated just like we do sometimes - they are smaller, weaker and don't have much say in what goes on in their lives - the only difference is, we can control our reactions, and they can't. I try to keep that mind when the kids are whining or crying or doing both at once.

The truth is, "ideal" is not always "real". It would be much easier, much more convenient, if our kids listened to and obeyed everything we say, but the reality is that it would be pretty weird if a kid did that. Children need to assert their independence and fight for what they want...after all, as they get older, we can't be there all the time telling them what to do. They're gonna have to figure life out for themselves eventually, and the only way they can do that is by having a mind of their own.

That being said, I know it isn't that easy to stay centered and patient when your kids are pushing all your buttons. I think it helps to practice breathing, mantras, etc when all is calm, and not wait to do so when your child is in mid-tantrum. I also subscribe to the Daily Groove newsletter so that I get excellent, thought-provoking, and to-the-point ideas about how to handle my kids.

Anyway, I better end this entry since my toddler is singing this new song while banging on the piano. It involves screaming "MAH-MEE, MAH-MEEEEEEEEEE!!!" at the top of his lungs, so I'm guessing that its for me? That thought alone makes the screaming bearable :D

"Dude, are you trying to break my neck??"

2009-10-15T11:39:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I finally went to a chiropractor. After years of neck and shoulder pain, I was diagnosed with scoliosis in 2005. I went for physiotherapy at the hospital, but it really didn't do much for the pain. When I was in the US, I became interested in chiropractic, but since it was not covered under insurance (and anyone can tell you that US health-care costs a BOMB), I never went. Two pregnancies and countless nights up with babies later, my back has gotten worse and worse. The curvature of my spine is not that obvious when I'm clothed, so I am not worried about my appearance. It is the pain that really gets to me. I live in constant pain.
On bad days, it is hard for me to even fall asleep. Other than risky spinal surgery or a body brace when you're an adolescent, there is no way to reverse the effect of scoliosis. So the only thing I can do is try to keep it from getting worse, and find ways of dealing with the pain.

Last week at The Curve (why am I always there?), I noticed there was a chiropractic centre there called Back In Motion. I went in and took a card, and couldn't find it when I got home *LOL* Thankfully I remembered the name of the place, so I Googled it, got their number and made an appointment.

I arrived pretty early, so after filling in the forms, I had to wait quite a bit. They had this slide show going on in the waiting area about how chiropractic care is great for babies and kids...and after my treatment, I think I am going to take the kids there as well :D

Anyhoo, after a bit of waiting, Dr. Wong called me into the room. There was this chair that kinda reminded me of a dentist chair, except it had a hole in its headrest. The doctor spent some time interviewing me about my medical history, etc. He then told me to lie face-down on the chair while he checked my spine. He spotted

the abnormal curve immediately, of course, and said that the three spinal discs (or whatever they are called) involved seemed to be locked into place, which caused the pain.

He told me to take a deep breath and let it allllll out. So I did just that - deep breath in, breath ouuuuu-

*CRACK*

What the eff?!?! He had pushed down on my spine as hard as he could, and I could hear the loudest cracking sound ever. I also felt...A LOT BETTER. What a revelation! Shock at the technique aside, I truly felt much better. Much lighter.

He went on adjusting the other two discs (is that what they're called??) and went on working on my neck. It was like he was trying to break my neck, except I felt better instead of dead after.

When he was done with the adjustment, he took me to get electrocuted. Hahahaha! Just kidding. He patched some wires on my back which allowed electrical current through to my muscles. It was a ticklish, tingly sensation that also made my muscles stretch and contract involuntarily. Again, strange sensation, but it made me feel so much better at the end. Ten minutes later, he came and took the wires off me, and we talked about coping strategies. He told me that I should do yoga and swimming, and get frequent chiropractic adjustments (of course). I've made an appointment for next week ;D

All in all, it was a great experience. You've just got to relax and be open. I, personally, feel much better now, even after having to wear Afraz for a couple of hours afterward. I totally recommend it for anyone looking for a 100% natural solution to their issues (even if it has nothing to do with their spine). I know I'm going back for more!

Nursing in Public (NIP)

2009-10-12T12:06:00.000+08:00

A lot of people tell me that they find breastfeeding impractical and inconvenient. This normally registers a WTF expression on my face. I have never found breastfeeding impractical! Ok well, that's a lie. There is one instance when it is impractical - in the car while baby is in the carseat, crying. I used to have enough space to hunch over his face and breastfeed him like that (yes, for real), but now that there are two carseats at the back of our 5-seater saloon car, I hardly have any space to do anything, so it gets mighty uncomfortable when the baby is hungry for his nenen.

Anywayyyyy back to the topic at hand. Breastfeeding is so NOT inconvenient! Not to diss formula-feeding mamas, but I think that washing, drying and sterilizing of bottles, and having to lug around (or God forbid - try to find) sterile water while out and about is a huge inconvenience. However, a lot of mamas point out that nursing in public is a huge pain in the butt, so they end up spending most of their time at home for as long as they're breastfeeding. Now that is just depressing.

I go out all.the.time. And, as I've said before, I always bring my kids with me. Just because you're breastfeeding, doesn't mean you have to be a recluse. There is nothing shameful or impractical about breastfeeding. If anything, you should be showing off that you're doing the best for your baby! Of course, that doesn't mean you need to show off how you're doing the best for your baby. The key here is to be discreet.

How can I be discreet when I'm breastfeeding, you ask? Well, there are several ways, and here is how I do it:

Use nursing wear or improvise on your own wardrobe to make them breastfeeding-friendly. One way to do this (short of actually cutting open your clothes), is to layer a tank top underneath another top. Pull the outer layer up, and the inner layer down, and you've got a make-shift nursing outfit. You can also do this vice versa if the outer layer is more low-cut than the inner layer. Wearing a nursing tank under a cardigan is also discreet - just pull the cardigan to hide any boobage you don't want seen. There are all sorts of garments made for discreet nursing and easy access - I've been wanting to get Skinies because they seem pretty awesome, but I can't afford it right now :p My cousin (who is my nursing hero, still tandem nursing her 3.5-year-old and 2-year-old) swears by control panties that cover up her entire belly. She just pulls up her shirt, and her panties provide coverage.
Invest in a good, supportive, easy-to-unclasp nursing bra or just wear a strapless bra. Now, I've had it pretty lucky in this department - my boobs did not gain much weight in the past 2+ years I've been breastfeeding, so I can use my old strapless bras. Unfortunately, its very hard to find nursing bras in my size so I only use the ones from La Leche League, but you can find all kinds of brands here in Malaysia. If possible, try them out first so that you can decide if its suitable for you or not. Apparently, you can also convert your normal bras into nursing bras, as demonstrated here. I'm planning to try that soon.
If you're using a sling, you can breastfeed your child in the sling, or use it as a cover-up even if you're not actually wearing your child. Speaking of cover-up, a lot of people use nursing covers. I have

nothing against them (I even have one myself), but the truth is that although it covers you up physically, its not exactly "discreet". Its like wearing a sign above your head saying "I AM NURSING MY CHILD HERE".
Be confident. If you are overly conscious about whether people can see your boobs, you might start adjusting too much and inadvertently reveal that which you did not want to reveal. I should also mention, your baby can tell when you're nervous or uncomfortable, which will likely annoy or confuse them. If you're too stressed out, it can even inhibit your letdown. So, just act like you would in the privacy of your own home. The key, I suppose, is to practice a lot at home first.

Honestly, if I had to show some skin while nursing my babies, I'd rather show my pretty boobies than my stretch-marked, stretchy belly, but here in Malaysia boobies are taboo, so I do what I can to keep em hidden. I did once accidentally flash some people walking past a sushi restaurant, but that was while I was putting my baby in a sling ( I didn't realize my nursing bra's drop cup was still...err...dropped, and my nursing top decided to open up at just that moment). They just turned away, I just blushed, and the moment was over and done with. No biggie.

If you're doing it right, people won't even notice you're nursing. And if they do, its up to them if they want to turn their head away. You are feeding your child - if they find it obscene, they are the ones with the problem, not you. And please, don't ever resort to a toilet to nurse your child! If someone asks that you to do that, you can invite them to also have their meal in the bathroom. Your baby is a person, and people have the right to eat where they want, when they want.

There is so much more I can say about NIP (nursing in public), but that's all I've got for now. Here are a couple of other links with tips for NIP:
Rules of the Road: Tips for Nursing Discreetly and Publicly
NIP tips by HoboMama

Also, the pics here are the only NIP pics I can find right now...Gotta get hubby to take some more! Anyway, here's to all you glam nursing mamas out there - keep it up, and keep it in style!

Infamous image of Jerry Hall nursing her baby - now that's glam!

International Babywearing Week contests

2009-10-11T12:38:00.000+08:00

As I've mentioned before, International Babywearing Week 2009 (IBW) ended a few weeks ago. Unfortunately it was the same week as Hari Raya, which meant that most Malaysian Babywearers were too busy with the Raya festivities to really celebrate IBW. That's not to say we're not celebrating though ;) Just that our celebrations are a little bit delayed.

In conjunction with IBW, Malaysian Babywearers have launched a few online contests for all Malaysians to enter. There are so many prizes to be won, and all you have to do is send a picture (or two, or ten!) or a caption or a slogan, and you can get these awesome prizes that include slings, gift vouchers and DVDs.

So go on ahead to http://malaysianbabywearers.blogspot.com/search/label/IBW09%20contests for more info. Good luck, glam mamas!

Super awesome knitting day!

2009-10-07T22:06:00.000+08:00

I dub today...Super Awesome Knitting Day! And its not because I got a lot of knitting done either! Honestly, I only managed like 10 rows of knitting today. So why did I dub this day *in a booming voice* Super Awesome Knitting Day?!

Firstly, I went to Amcorp to get my textbooks from Book Xcess. They didn't have my textbooks...but they did have a bunch of knitting books. Hardcover. For RM19.90!!! I have never bought a knitting book for under RM70, so this was a huge deal for me. Of course, I then proceeded to buy every single knitting book available :D Six books in all. The total price is what I would usually pay for one or two. The bargain hunter AND the knitter in were having a giant yarn party in my head.

And then after that, we went to The Curve to look for my textbooks. Again, none were found. But then I went to Daiso because I had heard from fellow knitters that they sometimes stock yarn there. Now, for those who are not familiar with Daiso, it is a RM5 store - literally everything they sell is only RM5. I was pretty excited when I entered. Grabbed a basket and began my search. Went on a quick round around at the aisles (fussy baby), but couldn't find any. So I asked a staff member whether they had any yarn in stock. They then seemed confused so I had to explain exactly what yarn was. After the confused stares turned into smiles of comprehension, "Takde la, kak," ("There are none, ma'am") was all they had to say.

Disappointed, I skulked around the store for other stuff (I always find stuff to buy at Daiso *LOL*) and whaddya know?? I found some yarn! I bought every ball of yarn in the colors that I like (that were available) - red, purple, light blue, pink. For only RM5 per ball (compared to an average of RM30 at yarn stores), this was a huge bargain! Of course, they are all acrylic yarn - not fancy wool or cotton - but I have nothing against acrylic yarn. They're washable, wear well and come in pretty classy colors these days. Perfect for babies and kids, especially those with sensitive skin that can't stand animal fibers.

So there you go: Knitting Books + Knitting Yarn = Super Awesome Knitting Day!

Breastfeeding - how it all began and how some of it ended...

2009-10-04T16:56:00.004+08:00

I gave birth to my first son, Aqil, on August 10, 2007. There are few days in my life that I remember as vividly as that day. I'll definitely share his birth story with you all soon, but for now I'd like to share a little bit about how we began our breastfeeding journey, the difficulties we've had along the way and how part of my breastfeeding has ended.

He was born normally at dusk after around 8 hours of labor. Seeing him for the first time was the single most profound moment of my life up to that point. Nursing him for the first time...well...it wasn't as beautiful an image as I expected it to be. I was dizzy and shaky from the intensity of labor, and he was pretty groggy too. I held him for a few minutes before the nurses took him away for inspection and a bath (a standard procedure at that hospital that I later found out did not help with establishing breastfeeding at all). After we both took a short nap, I was ready to try breastfeeding.

Now, here I realize I had made mistake #1 way before he was even born - I had always assumed that breastfeeding would "come naturally" so I didn't read a single book or article about breastfeeding *banging my head on the wall*! Once I had my baby and attempted to breastfeed, I found out really fast that breastfeeding is a tricky talent to master. Between a groggy baby with a small mouth, a stressed out, clueless mom and an inability to get him latched on properly, our breastfeeding experience started out in a much-less-than-ideal way. Not only did the uterine contractions hurt, but my nipples suffered too. Each feed was excruciatingly painful and I dreaded the thought of having to nurse him. But, being the ~~stubborn~~ determined person that I am, I went on with it. Tried everything - nipple shield, expressing milk and rubbing it on my nipple, letting my boobies air, using Soothies and lanolin. And that was just in the first two days!

On his 2nd day on this planet, Aqil had to be placed in the NICU for what I now know was a completely small issue. Obviously, being apart from my child did nothing to help our already-suffering breastfeeding relationship. Thankfully I did not have to go home yet - that hospital did discharge me but they provided a room for me to say in, gratis. It was in the same building and same wing as the NICU, only a few floors down. So I stayed in that dark room in the hospital, traveling up and down the elevator to breastfeed my child. Except that now, not only was I in pain, Aqil was not gaining weight as much as he should. And so one of the worst phone calls came in from the doctors. They told me that they needed to give him formula so he'll gain weight fast and get better. In between sobs, I agreed. I did not know much about breastfeeding a newborn then, and I realize now that being complacent and unenlightened about the sensitive nature of the relationship between breastfeeding a newborn and my long-term milk supply was mistake #2 in my breastfeeding experience. They started "topping off" his feeding with formula - I'd feed him at my breast or with expressed breastmilk (EBM) in a bottle, and if he still seemed hungry, we'd give him formula. Supplementing with formula did no favors for my supply - how was I going to make more milk if I had less opportunity to feed him directly AND there was another food source taking my breastmilk's place??

Sure enough, a few days later I started having fever and chills. Since Aqil was in NICU, a place where the sickest babies go to get better, I was not allowed in until I figured out what was causing my fever and get better. Tears came over me again. How can I be apart from my sick baby??! At this point I had started pumping at night and gave those bottles of milk to my hubby or mom to send to Aqil at night so that I can get more sleep. So I pumped and gave hubby the milk to feed my baby, and urgently made an appointment to see my OB-GYN. I had quickly bought and read the book The Complete Guide to Breastfeeding during our stay at the hospital and found that my symptoms seemed to indicate mastitis, a type of breast infection often caused by milk not being sufficiently expelled from the breast. So off I went to see my OB-GYN who confirmed that I had mastitis and put me on a course of antibiotics.

I got better, went to see my baby after a day apart, and tried to nurse him. Coincidentally the head NICU nurse was in the room with me - a sweet older lady who had a really maternal vibe about her. She took one look at my nipples and was like "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??!". She went on to tell me that she has never seen nipples so injured before. "It must be torture to breastfeed your lil guy with your nipples in that condition", she exclaimed. Yeah, no kidding! She called the resident lactation consultant and told her to come up ASAP. They told me to pump instead of feeding him "straight from the tap" while my nipples heal. They also advised that I start on fenugreek and blessed thistle supplements to increase my milk supply to wean my son off formula.

Upset as I was that I couldn't nurse him anymore, I pumped for him and took those supplements. A week later - that's 10 days after he was born - we took our Aqil home. Within three days of being home, my supply was high enough to get him off formula (YAY!). I think that being free of the stress that comes with having a child in NICU and having to stay at the hospital instead of recovering in the comfort of my own home, played a huge part in the increase of my milk supply.

However, I was still pumping and not nursing my baby from the breast. In the month following his birth, I went to the lactation consultant countless times - why does it hurt so bad to nurse him? They tried all sorts of tricks, every kind of position available...and it still hurt. In the end, they pretty much just gave up and told me that I would just have to hang in there and let my nipples get tougher. What the eff, I thought, If nursing is this painful for much longer, how the hell do they expect me to keep on breastfeeding. So then I turned to the place that never fails to give me answers: the Internet. I posted this entry on the Breastfeeding community at Livejournal. Within hours, comments started pouring in. And finally, finally, breastfeeding stopped hurting! In the end, these breastfeeding mothers who've been through what I was going through, were the people who ultimately saved my breastfeeding relationship. I always give that link to new mothers going through a rough time breastfeeding their little ones, and you should feel free to do so too.

I continued to nurse Aqil despite some minor problems including an overactive letdown and one incidence of biting (I set him down and made it clear that biting means a stop to the nursing session, and he got the message and it never happened again). We went on happily nursing for another 10 months...at which point we found out that - TA-DA- I was pregnant again! Despite being overjoyed at the thought of holding another baby in my arms, one of my first thoughts was "What will happen to Aqil and our breastfeeding?". I found out the answers...but that's a story for another day ;)

As my belly got bigger and my level of energy got lower, I decided to gently nightwean Aqil once he became a year old. After two months of giving him water in a cup when he woke up at night, and patting/rubbing his back to get him back to sleep, he finally decided that waking up at night was not worth it, and miraculously slept through the night. He nursed frequently during the day, though. And even after his brother was born in March 2009, he continued to nurse...for another 6 months :)

About a month ago, my eldest baby boy weaned himself after 24 months of breastfeeding. He now proudly informs everyone that "baby nenen" when Afraz is at my breast, as if he is passing a torch to his little brother: "Hey bro, it's your turn now".

His weaning has been a bittersweet affair for me. While I am sad that he is no longer nursing, I am relieved now that I am back to nursing only one baby again. He seems happy and, dare I say, like such a big boy now. I am glad that the decision to wean was mostly his, and that he did not do so grudgingly. I miss my little baby, but I am proud of my little man.

Now, about that third rule...

2009-10-04T00:46:00.003+08:00

Yeah, you know, the third thing that makes you a glam mama: Love yourself. Now, let me make it clear: loving yourself is not the same thing as being selfish. What I'm talking about here is actions that nurture your psyche, appearance and well-being that ultimately makes you happy which subsequently makes you a better mother. Got that? Well, let me give you an example.

Today, despite my apprehension about leaving my children for pretty much the whole day, I went for the first class of my graduate studies (actually its the second class but the first class was cancelled because the lecturer had food poisoning which meant that...well, it's irrelevant to my point so let's go back to my original point before I go further off tangent as I tend to do). While it may seem selfish, which it did even to me at first, to put my babies through the trauma that they must go through when their usually fully present mother abandons them one day a week to pursue her studies, the truth is that in the end, its all for them. And I'm not saying that just to make myself feel better either!

We all go through days where we just feel like running away from our life as a SAHM or WAHM or even a WOHM (just admit it already!), and mostly its because we feel like we've neglected ourselves. Think about it. We spend all day and night with our children, attend their every need, spend every drop of energy, every dime that we have just to keep them fed, clean, happy and have a roof above their heads. But who is doing that for us? Mama needs some lovin' too!

I always say, motherhood is a thankless but incredibly rewarding experience. No one is going to write you a thank you note for all that you do because its "what all moms have to do". Society states "Just do your job and don't complain about it". Husbands, sweet as they are, are clueless to the fact that sometimes we just need some time and attention too. So, if no one is there to give us that, what happens to us? Well, we gotta love ourselves!

It can be something as small as taking a long hot shower while your hubby watches the kids, or going for a monthly pedi mani (or a facial, or a massage, or even a Brazilian if that's your thing - an added bonus is that it'll likely make the hubby happy too *LOL*), or in my case, finally taking the long-postponed leap of pursing my graduate studies. Having a hobby or two also does wonders for your psychological well-being, as does having a social life.

I'll admit, I wish I can practice all that I preach, but the truth is that I don't do all that. However, I do have a few things that I do to remind myself that I am loved, at least by me. I love to knit - I took it up just recently after years of procrastinating. I do it as much as I can - while nursing, in the passenger seat of the car while hubby drives or at night for about half an hour after the kids are asleep. An added bonus is that I get to enjoy the things that I make, or give them away as presents. I'll definitely be talking more about that later :)

And as for my social life...well, the truth is I don't get to see a lot of my single friends that often. I much prefer spending time with my kids than anyone else, so if I do want to see friends, I like to bring my kids, which most of my single friends find annoying (except for M and SR...they come to the house to see me, see my kids and sometimes even watch the kids while I take a long-overdue shower - now that's friendship!). I always rationalize that a social life can wait till the kids are older and aren't as dependent on me as they are now (if ever that day arrives, hahaha!).

I guess my point is, keep doing what makes you happy. As long as it isn't detrimental to the long-term well-being of your family, in the long run your happiness will ensure that your whole family remains happy. And if you really can't bear the thought of leaving your kids just so you can do something for yourself, bring them! I bring my kids out shopping all the time! I've even brought them to the salon while I got my hair done (with one other person there for chasing after the toddler, of course). Just because you're loving yourself, doesn't mean you gotta do it all alone.

So you see, it's simple: happy mama ---> happy family. Happy family ---> glam mama!