The little jack in the box

The other day, I decided to buy a mini wheelie bin. Firstly I thought it was cute, secondly it was on specials..so whatever is on specials..will turn out to be on my shopping list! haha..I know..BAD!!! Anyway, I actually bought that to store water..it's a long story but it was meant for me to put my confinement herbal bath water in it and wheel it to the bathroom so I can use it to shower with..and YES, we could NOT find a single BIG Bucket/Pail to put the water in! Ok, enough explanation..well, after using it for my confinement, I thought it would come in handy for my kids to put all their stuff toys in it and store in their room..so ok, to kill 2 birds with one stone, I went ahead and bought it.

The minute we bought it and brought it back, we found a little Jack in the box! Check out the pictures..

Perhaps..

When I was young, I guess it was pretty normal for everyone to dream on how their prince charming would be like and their fairy tale ending of happily ever after? I for one would wonder who my future prince would be. Looking back now, I can't help but to wonder, maybe everything is all fated. We were destined to be together after all and it was written in the stars..perhaps??

Why I am writing this is because in Melbourne, my family and I went walking in the famous Queen Vic Market and I stopped at a particular stall. This stall had our english names written in Kanji which means Japanese writing with its meaning onto it so me being the nosy me..decided to stop and look for my name and see what it means. So i finally found my name in the middle of a zillion names on the table and pointed it out to Ironchef. I was admiring the meaning of my name..ahha..when suddenly he paused and he looked shocked! Take a look at this:-

As you can see my name with the meaning below it and the japanese writing above it. The japanese character is very similar to Chinese so when Ironchef looked at it, he stopped and was shocked because in Chinese, his actual surname and last name is written above it. Now, I can't read a single chinese character but he pointed out to me his surname which is the third character on the right and the first character is his last name so we both then looked at each other in disbelief and I told him, I had to buy it because it was soo meaningful! I mean..how often do you see your name with your husband's name embedded in it?

The whole day..I was just smirking and thinking to myself then..perhaps it WAS written in the stars...perhaps we WERE fated to be together after all..perhaps..it WAS a twist of fate to how we met, fell in love and now having a family together. hmm...Perhaps..

Sick and NOT loving it!!

I got the winter bug AGAIN!!! I thought I could have escaped it all but alas, i got it and this time it came full of vengeance!! Not only was my throat sore but I had this really bad congested nose which made me tempted to just rip them apart from my face AND my ASTHMA returned!! Oh, yes, did I mention that I am also 5 months pregnant?? ARGH!!!

Complete Nightmare!! I was practically bedridden for three whole days and I didn't even dare come out of my room for fear of spreading the disease to the kids! So, the kids just knew that mummy was sick and daddy had to take care of them and manage his work and household all by himself! He was really good, I must admit and I am really thankful for because I was able to rest peacefully. What made the whole situation hilarious was the fact that after hybernating in my room for 3 whole days, I finally came out of my room the morning to help the kids dress up for school and because they haven't seen me, my lil rascal came running to me and asked, "Is the baby out yet?"

Ironchef and I burst out laughing immediately cause we certainly didn't know where that came from!! Kids really do say the darnest things don't they?? haha..well, anyway I explained to him that the baby won't be out till xmas and he assumed that SAnta Claus was going to bring the baby out..so i just left it at there and let his imagination run wild! haha..

Kids..don't you just love them? I am feeling much better albeit the tickling throat which just makes me cough non stop..apart from that, I guess hopefully I will be back on track for a full recovery soon.

My Tinkerbell goes to school everyday and now this term, Lil Rascal also starts kindy and Montessori altogether so he attends them both everyday with the exception of one day a week where I still have him at home. I guess it is a good break for me as well to rest when he is not at home. My house turns topsy turvy after 3 pm though with both kids back and both fighting for attention telling me what they have been up to at school..haha..I guess that is all part and parcel of having kids..and imagine topping that with one more!! EEEEK!

A blast from the past...

well..I realised how long it has been since i logged into my blog and it is all my fault..haha..blame it on being lazy. Well, i just came back from a week holiday..which was meant to be THE holiday I was looking forward to..but alas..it was disastrous! WEll..not everything was bad apart from the entire family being grumpy and spoiling my entire mood!! I am NOT going to dwell on that..but it was a great blast from the past! I got to show my kids and family my University which i enjoyed so much being a carefree Uni Student. So where was I? I was in Melbourne!

We decided to drive there so from Adelaide to Melbourne, it took us 10 hours because of all the stops and breaks we had to take in between. (normally it would only take 7.5 hours) Anyways, we reached Melbourne on Sat evening and we met a good friend of mine who was became our chaperone -a good one at it too!! So we spent 5 days in Melbourne before driving off to Apollo Bay for a one night stay and did a bit of sightseeing there and from the time we left Melbourne, i actually THEN started to enjoy my holiday. We did an 1 hr hike with the kids which was awesome..uphill, downhill, up the suspension bridge and climbed up the lightstation too! I was tempted to get all of us to abseil down from the high suspension bridge too if i wasn't preggars :) It was good cause both kids walked without asking to be carried and no fuss..so i guess they take it after us, loving the nature and hiking trails.

From Apollo Bay, we drove into a small town called Nelson and it was hilarious! CAn you imagine a small (and i mean really small) town with only 3 inns out of which 2 of them were fully booked so we rented a cabin log for a one night and as we walked into a pub for our dinner..we were of course starving and tired from all the driving so the only place we could find food was in this small, small pub! So there we were as we opened the door, it was full of Australians..and i mean Australians from rural farms who literally all stared at us as we came to realise that we were the ONLY ASIANS!! They must be wondering what the heck are these 4 black haired people doing here in this part of town!! Damn funny...Ironchef and I tried to just blend in but it was kinda hard to do so with loudmouth kids like ours!! Then came the time to eat and order our drinks..now to order the drinks, we had to get it from the bar counter so i innocently thought it should be alright if i went and got drinks so i did!! OH MY GOSH!! All these big blokes with long hair..bikey look a likes then all turned and stared at me!! I then realised how small i was and just meekly ordered my drink from the bartender!! As i got my drinks and headed back to my table, i realised we needed more drinks so i told Ironchef, it was his turn to go get them!! hahaa..

Anyways, all in all..it was really great to experience it all..practically playing the 'Spot the Asian Game"!! haha..after a nights stay, we then headed back to Adelaide..because we took the coastal route, it will normally take 12 hours back so we took more stops on the way back and made it back safe and sound..and of course, nothing is sweeter and better than being back at home :)

Some pics to enjoy from the trip:

A new Life...

I can't believe how long it has been since I've logged on and it is not that i haven't been surfing the net, in fact I have but I just find using my iphone alot easier and simplier than switching on the modem and laptop and wait for connection..yadda yadda..you get the drift! so me being lazy me..I just tend to sit on my coach and just surf with a click on my iphone :)

So, updates..well the major news in my life is..I am expecting a new life in me!! Yes, I am pregnant with my third and hopefully last child. I was expecting to be pregnant at one stage in my life anyways and knowing how fertile I am ..well it didn't take me TOO LONG!! so yes, 11 weeks and just 1 week more to my stable second trimester.

This pregnancy hasn't been too bad as well and pretty much smooth for me like my previous two..so i can be considered lucky. The only thing is my urge to keep sour food! Granny smith apples..i have never touched in my life is now like the top must have in my pantry! Finding jeruk here is worse than looking for gold here. I mean you can your basic ones but the ones i love can't be found here at all!! so..boo hoo hoo me..

I have also stepped down from my volunteering work because I was getting too tired trying to manage the kids and household and now with the change in my body, it aint helping. I may have managed to skip all the morning sickness but I still had this big hormonal change going on therefore I was always sooo tired..constantly wanting to sleep so I have decided to just take a break and take things at a slower pace.

well, here's to a smooth sailing ahead :) and hopefully I am able to start blogging more

My new volunteer work!

Ever since I decided to become a SAHM, my whole life revolved around my kids and well, i was getting abit bored! I actually feel embarassed writing this because it is meant to be the most respected thing to do but i really needed to find an avenue to do something else apart from just ferrying my kids from school to swimming lessons and piano lessons..etc!! There has to be more in life than just this!! I tried looking for some part time jobs around but alas the time just doesn't permit me to be as flexible as i'd like to be so i decided to take up a volunteer role in MENSA as their new Editor. I will be writing their monthly state newsletter which I thought would be ideal because I can actually divert my unused mental energy to good use :)

Although it is not a paid job but it will still look good in my resume so by the time I have both kids at school, I will then start looking around for a full time job again and hopefully by then gain some good referrals to enable me to open some doors.

For my first issue, I have decided to write about Lil Tinkerbell because she happens to be the youngest member in SA and I thought it would be good for her as well to have this newsletter as a keepsake for future. A momento perhaps as it is written about her and for her :) Although it is just a short write up but some exposure is better to none.

I have added a snapshot of the issue for all to see..enjoy :)

The rejuvenating short break

As mentioned in my previous blog, my lil short holiday turned out to be absolutely FUN! Not only were the kids well behaved throughout the entire 6 hours drive but even as we were there, they didn't cause me any grief as I expected them to be! It was just perfect and fun!

We crossed over 3 borders from South Australia to Mildura and Mildura is situated in Victoria and the next day, we decided to take a lil tour at this place called the 'Orange World' where we were given a truck ride around the Orchard full of oranges and that place was situated in NSW so from Vic, we drove across the border to NSW so yes, it was just good.

One thing which Australia has and I love the most is the blue sky and white clouds, so I couldn't resist snapping away pictures of the beautiful blue sky.

Take a look at these..

The most important thing at the end of the day is that the family is together and we just spent that quality time together on the road and i guess it makes everything worthwhile! Don't you think?

A weekend away...

Too much has been going on and i find myself in a rush everyday to get things done so last week, I decided to stop everything from gym to going out and just stayed home to chill out! The result ---BLISS!

I find that not going to the gym has given me the extra time to do housework, time to actually surf the internet, time to bring my kids swimming and time to just be myself in my pyjama pants lying on the sofa with a nice cup of coffee! I enjoy this time..

And come Monday, Ironchef is bringing us away for a short holiday to the countryside..actually to coincide with his business trip but heck, I am looking forward to just getting away for a change! No emails, no boring monotoneous routine, no school! haha..just me and the kids away in a motel where i dont have to worry about cleanliness and homework!

A glimpse of the lodge we are going to be staying in:----

My Lil Rascal is turning into a boy..

All this while my lil rascal has been the baby of the house and he still is but the day we said goodbye to nappies made me realise that THIS was going to be the LAST time i will walk down an aisle full of baby things. I won't be walking into a shop full of baby things either..cause my Lil Rascal is now a boy!!

No more wet wipes!! No more Nappies!..sigh..and to admit i kinda miss those nappy days...heck, at least i get away with shopping cause i don't have to stop whatever i am doing just to rush to the toilet so that he doesn't pee in his pants... and did i mention the times..when we were in coles getting our groceries..just the two of us and there i am with a trolley full of goods and he had to.."mummy..i need to pee..NOW!"..Gosh..i could have won like a gold medal for sprinting..as i had to abandon my whole trolley in the middle of any god forsaken aisle and carry him to find the nearest toilet i could get him into!! Phew..yes..that is my shopping life now..ever ready to make that quick dash to the toilet whenever he needs too..i must admit i am better at doing this now..cause i force him to go to the toilet before we GO anywhere so i don't have to abandon any shopping carts!

I am glad i waited till he was ready to take his own step to being a boy..cause it only took me 1 week for him to be comfortable enough wearing his undies and leaving his nappies behind for good. I mean i remember the drama i had last year..gosh!! He was crying, half naked running around the whole house like a chicken without a head looking everywhere for his pampers (partially cause i hid them away from him) I must say though..that 1 week i took training him involved putting his green ikea potty permanently as a statue in the middle of my living room and did i mention i had to put newspapers all over it as well so that his pee doesn't drop onto the carpets?? yes..the pains of potty training and the constant nagging that would have me beat an 80 year old granny as well! i think like every 5 mins..i had to ask Lil Rascal..do u need to wee?Do you need to pee? until he and I were both sick to death by the end of one week! I think i grew so tired of asking at one stage that i was like..whatever! hahaa..but then i came back to my senses again and started the ball rolling again with nagging him!

Anyway, after one week of nagging and my house turning into a war zone..he was nappy free and as of last week, he has stopped nappies at night too! an adorable sweetie I have..who just amazes us! I can't stop pinching his butt cheeks now..they are like the tiniest most adorable butt cheeks i have even pinched!! ahha..i know i sound like a paedophile..but i am NOT!! I am just a mum who is in love with her son! haha..

well..cheers to underwear and the start to his boyhood!

my NEW daily routine!

It is funny how one change of event will eventually affect the whole entire family! Before Lil Tinkerbell started school, we all used to wake up late in the mornings and everything was so nice and laid back but eversince she started school, we have somehow created a whole new family routine:-

7:00am: My Ironchef is normally the first one up in the household! followed by either myself or lil Tinkerbell and lucky last will be my lil rascal.

7:30am: Breakfast for the kids and packing Lil Tinkerbell's lunch box. (she normally has sandwiches for breakfast and lunch)

8:10am: The whole family leaves the house together to send her off

8:45am: Lil Tinkerbell starts her school and normally we walk her to her classroom together with her class teacher and classmates.

9:00am: We leave school compound and Ironchef drops me and lil rascal off to the gym.

9:30am : My class aerobics start

10:30am: It ends and the world starts with just the two of us..me and my lil young boy hand in hand walking back

12:00pm: Prepare lunch for us both and have our meals

2:00pm: We have to get ready to leave the house and catch the tram to pick Lil Tinkerbell up from school. By the time we walk to the tram stop and get our act together, it would be just nice.

3:10pm: Lil Tinkerbell finishes school and starts chatting away about her day in school while we walk to the tram stop and catch the tram back to our place.

4:00pm: We reach home and I prepare a lil snack for her to eat and she will rest abit before she starts her homework

5:00pm: Homework time.

6:00pm: Kids watch their cartoon while Ironchef prepares dinner.

6:30pm: Kids have their bath and then dinner thereafter.

7:30pm: Lil Tinkerbell will continue her homework if she still has not finished otherwise she will just play and rest.

8:30pm: Sleeping time for the kids and freedom for the adults! Nice catch up time for Ironchef and myself about the day or just being able to watch TV and surf the internet.

11pm: Bedtime..ZZZz

This routine has been like this for the past 4 weeks now but of course if Ironchef gets off work early then it changes altogether cause we don't have to catch the tram bla bla..

Such is Life......

Chinese New Year Around the Corner

This will be our third time celebrating Chinese New Year without any parents or relatives. I must admit it is really quiet having to celebrate festive occasions like these without family and being in Australia where there is no atmosphere of the new year makes it abit hard trying to cheer up and prepare for such a joyous occasion.

Albeit all this, I try hard to make it as happy as possible and to get into the mood and swing of it all, I even bought CNY dvd's and CD's from Malaysia so i play them in the house as i go around decorating my house. I have even invited close friends to celebrate CNY reunion dinner with us and thanks to my mum who bought me a packet of "Yee Sang" so at least i can toss it over here! I love my yee sang!

I am even learning to bake some CNY goodies like pineapple tarts etc..*wish me luck* Well as the saying goes, Beggars can't be choosers..so we just have to make the most out this joyous occasion.

Lil Tinkerbell's First day at school

This year starts off for me as a parent another milestone! The day my lil tinkerbell starts going to reception in school. Reception is the year that children attend before their official Year 1 and normally they start attending reception after they turn 5 years old. Lil Tinkerbell was an exception because of her ability, she was accepted one term earlier.

So, on her first day at school she was up bright and early. Excited about wearing her school uniform and having her new school bag, everything was daunting to me but to her, she was more than happy to start school than staying at home for the past few months already during the holidays. She started on Wednesday and so far, we have been very impressed with the school and how they manage the children.

First of all, there are only 15 children in her class so that means, she gets more attention from her teacher. Then, the school provides all her stationery to books and they have them all wrapped as well so we didn't have to do anything.

Next was the hours of school. Her normal school time starts at 8:45am and ends the day at 3:10pm everyday with two breaks in between for snacks with fruits and lunch recess but for the first week, we were advised that their days will end at 12:30pm followed by the second week at 2:00pm and from the third week onwards, they will resume their normal school hours. That was a very good move especially for the kids who are not used to the long hours at school so by slowly giving them more time to get used to the school hours and for us parents too (especially me) to get used to the idea of not having our kids with us for the first half of the day.

Well, it just gets better cause they even offer free after school activities each term and this term, I have signed Lil Tinkerbell up for hip hop dance. So every Friday, she can go dancing where refreshments will also be served because class sessions are 1 hour and will end at 4:30pm. Now how good is that? They have given us a whole plan of Term 1 where important dates are marked down and that includes a zoo excursion for the kids and every Fridays in the morning, the kids get taken down to the beach for walks too! Hmm..school here is indeed so much better and refreshing.

And like a proud parent, there I was armed with my camera snapping away pictures of her on her first day at school:-

Their tables are all clearly labelled with their names so they know where to sit and they each have their own labelled drawer where they keep all their notebooks.

Their spots are all clearly labelled with their names so they know where to hang their bags.

The year that was...and the year to come..

Finally another year has passed! As I reflect back on 2009, important events and memories that happened be it good or bad seems so surreal now. hmm..Each day that passes by in my life seems so fast..time and tide waits for no man and i believe in that statement. Sometimes i have this urge to want time to stand still when i am enjoying life and my family at its most sweetest times..times when i look at my precious babies to see how much they have grown up eversince the first time i learnt to change their diapers. Those times felt like just yesterday yet reality is that time is passing by really quickly.

2009...hmm..the year:-

# We finally got our PR granted after waiting patiently for 2 years!
# Isabel was defined a gifted child by a psychologist and accepted into Mensa. She is now 1 of 8 kids under the age of 10 yrs old in South Australia to be a member.
# My son's vocabulary increased and talking so much more now than ever before..even cheekier as well,
# I lost 12 kgs by going through a rigid gym exercise schedule and diet included.
# I started this new blog as i come to terms of being a housewife and to start prioritising my family first.

I am actually contented to life in general last year..now what will the coming year be? I wonder..I had my life read by a fortune teller back in Malaysia..haha..so i shall wait and see if his predictions come true or not but in the meanwhile my resolutions for 2010 are:-

# To start studying again
# To potty train lil rascal and hope this time i am successful cause last year, it failed miserably
# To save more $$$..which is what i keep telling myself everyday but somehow again..i seem to forget (sigh..)
# To go to brisbane and gold coast for a nice family holiday end of the year

That's all..on my end for now. Wish me all the luck cause i am gonna need lots of them..and to everyone i know..Happy New Year and may the new year bring you guys lots of love, joy and good health!!