Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The changing shape of children

Have you noticed that the shape of kids have changed recently?

Obesity is on the rise, and there are now many obese children around.

My children are not fat , but their shape is apparently not right.

We only realised it when we tried to buy school uniforms for them.

When my oldest first started school, the smallest sized uniform was way too big. We had to practically re-sew the WHOLE uniform for it to fit her. When she went to secondary school, again the smallest sized uniform was way too big, and again major alterations had to be made. My son had no problems when we bought his as he was a little on the chubby side then, but has since lost all his "baby fat".

Just last week when we tried to buy school uniforms for the youngest, we encountered problems again. The blouse couldnt get past her head. If we were to go for a size bigger the bodice would be too big. Does that mean that my daughter has a big head, or was there a defect in the manufacturing. I would like to think the latter as another parent also complained that his daughter's head couldnt get thru the blouse and he alerted us to try it on.

Then when we bought the skirt, when the length was right, the waist was too tight ... and I tell you my child is NOT fat! In fact, she is below the average scale for children her age. And if we took one where the waist fits, the skirt reaches her ankles!! And mind you she is not short - she is of average height!

But the PE shorts - the smallest size was way too big - I have to stuff in a cushion for it to not fall off her hips! And the worst part is, there is very little we can do to alter the shorts to her size - not with the pocket and school logo on it. Well, at least I know my child is not pear shaped!

But what shape is she? If the uniforms are anything to go by: she has a Big head, small body, big waist, small hips, undertall? Does that make her a big circle on top of a diamond?

Sunday, November 21, 2010

I am supposed to be so stressed ...

You see, I havent been for a foot reflexology for a long, long time. So having some time on my hands whilst waiting for the little one who was at piano class last week, I decided to venture into the mall next door to her music school, and walked into the foot reflex shop.

Reflexology is the practice of applying pressure to the feet and hands utilizing specific thumb, finger and hand techniques without the use of oil, cream or lotion based on a system of zones and reflex areas that reflect an image of the body on the feet and hands with a premise that such work effects a physical change in the body.

It is believed that reflexology can reduce stress. Because the feet and hands help set the tension level for the rest of the body, they are an easy way to interrupt the stress signal and reset homeostasis, the body's equilibrium. Reflexology works as the pressure techniques applied to the feet or hands interact as a part of the body's nervous system creating: relaxation, improved circulation, exercise of the nervous system and the benefits of touch.

Reflexology assessment takes place as stress cues are evaluated. Stress cues show adaptation to stress in a part of the foot or hand or a reflex area that reflects stress in the body. Adaptation is shown by visual signs such as callousing, knobby toes or a bunion. Indications of stress are also seen as sensitivity to technique application or touch signs perceived by the reflexologist as technique is applied. The assessment of such stress cues allows the reflexologist to target areas of stress and to design a session of pressure technique application appropriate to provide relaxation specific to the individual.


(Source: www.reflexology-research.com)

As I used to get a foot massage on a fairly frequent basis previously, and had a package with the shop, the guy at the shop pulled out my card and said - : "Wow! You havent had a session for more than a year! "

Anyway, he then started on the foot massage. Before he was two minutes into it, I felt intense pain. Honestly, I dont remember it being so painful before so I mentioned it to the guy. He replied - that's your eyes. Your eyes are probably strained. Hmmm .. I thought to myself ... he is probably right. Been playing a bit too much computer games, and what with the ipad. I notice that it seems terribly bright, and I do feel the strain each time after I use it.

The next thing I knew, I felt intense pain again: this time he said it was my ears ... I guess from having to put up with the noise level at home, now that the kids are home more with the exams over.

Barely two minutes later, I again alerted him to the intense pain, and this time he said: it's your head, too many things on your mind and you are stressed! I felt like saying: What do you expect? With 3 kids at home and their different schedules to contend with, sometimes I dont even know if I am coming or going!!

The next time I felt pain he said: It's your back. You must suffer from backache right? Boy! was he right! After sitting for too long in front of the television or computer terminal or long periods of driving, I sometimes experience backache. And I blame it on my poor posture, it seems more comfortable slouching than sitting upright!

Next it was my liver, he attributed it to having had to much rich food. My, Oh my, my unhealthy diet is now catching up with me. He advised me to cut down on seafood especially shellfish/crustaceans ... my favourite. Which reminds me, I shouldn't have had the 2 giant chilli prawns (with all that roe in the head) for dinner just last night!

And he concluded that my blood circulation is weak.

You want to know the funny thing: I actually dont feel all that stressed. Especially with the exams over and the schools closed, I actually have a relatively more relaxed schedule. My stress level is probably brought about by all that he told me ...which has me now worrying about how come I am so stressed and not know it! Now that's REAL stress!!

I guess what I need is more full body massages to get the blood going in the whole body, not just a foot reflex, and that would sure soothe all those aches away!

Which reminds me I have to get off the computer right now, before I strain my eyes even more.

Friday, November 19, 2010

As different as Chalk and cheese

Thats my kids.

One is so well co-ordinated and is a sportsman, the other is a Klutz.

One can master the break dance moves taught by the teacher, the other has two left feet.

One is the Ice Queen, the other is Mr Sociable.

The Ice Queen selects friends very carefully, Mr Sociable is friends with everyone, even says hello/waves to the construction workers in the truck as my car drives pass.

One I never have to bug to do homework, the other will not do until I scream and lose my temper.

One loves to read, the other loves to play.

One only takes hot baths, the other only cold showers, rain or shine.

One jumps out of bed immediately when called in the morning, the other has to be called at least three times before you see any movement!

As babies, my MIL had to rock one for a whole hour to put to nap for 15 minutes, the other slept for 3 hours straight without any rocking.

One loves the dirt and has no problem rolling on the floor anywhere, the other is allergic to dust!

One would eat most things, the other is sooooo fussy.

And to think that both of the came from the same "mould", of same parentage!

I guess God is fair. He gives us a bit of everything, and some in between too - coz my lil one is the hybrid. She is quite "middle of the road", a bit of the two older siblings.

And since it's friday, here's a joke for you:

Daddy, where did I come from?" the seven-year-old asked. It was a moment for which her parents had carefully prepared. They took her into the living room, got out the encyclopedia and several other books, and explained all they thought she should know about sexual attraction, affection, love, and reproductions. Then they both sat back and smiled contentedly. "Does that answer your question?" her father asked. "Not really," the little girl said. "Marcia said she came from Detroit. I want to know where I came from."

Sunday, November 14, 2010

4x4

I was tagged by Nessaknit, so here it goes.

4 things that..... are usually in my handbag

1. My mobile phone. I can't live without it. In it I have all my schedules and children's as well. It tells me the days and time, who this taxi driver has to pick or meet or what appointments she has. Also, I dont remember many people's phone numbers anymore.

2. My wallet. My big, fat overflowing wallet. Not always with money. You know how it is over here, where practically every shop has their own ins-store discount or credit card? I carry many of them, many of which I dont even use.

3. Children's photos. You know how when we take passsport photos it always comes in 8s. Well, you only need one for a new passport. The other 7 are in my bag. I never know when I will need them. Maybe, when my child gets lost at the shopping mall I will be able to whip out their latest photo so that they can be identified immediately! But that will never happen as I ALWAYS make sure that the youngest is holding my hands, (or handbag strap, or the loop in my jeans) if my hands are not free when we are out shopping, and the older ones can now whip out their mobiles and call me.

4. Tissue Paper. To clean away all traces of what I have consumed, or in case I need to blow my nose, and most importantly, for those of us living in this little red dot, to reserve a table at the hawker centre / food court!!

4 things that..... are in my bedroom

1. My lil one. Yes, she's almost 6 but she refuses to move out of my bedroom to ehr own. She still sleeps in the bed next to mine.

2. A cot. And yes again, she's almost 6 but I have yet to disassemble her cot, so its sitting in a corner of my bedroom with loads of stuff in it. Now, you know why It hasnt been disassembled!!

3. My books. I read every night before going to bed, so there are always books in my bedroom!

4. My wedding photos! After close to 20 years of marriage, my wedding photos are still hanging in my room :D


4 things that ..... I would like to do but never did

1. Sky-diving. I used to be an adrenalin junkie, always queuing for the first row of any roller coaster ride. Now I dont think my heart can take it!

2. Kept my fitness level. I used to swim everyday, yes everyday! Now I hardly exercise. I would really like to take this lazy butt off the couch and get fit again!

3. Continued my career. I stopped working to be a SAHM when I had my second child. I have been home full time for more than 10 years already. I really miss the financial independence and the luxury of having 2 incomes in the family. Having been out of the profession for soooooo long and not keeping abreast, if I decide to go back to work, it would have to be in a totally different field.

4. Move out, and set up my own home, and have EVERYTHING my way!

4 things that .... you don't know about me

1. I have 50 cousins or maybe more. You know how you stop counting once they get to a number like that!
2. I used to be an Australian PR, but not anymore :(
3. I am still living with the in-laws!
4. I have bad hair! These natural curls make it a bad hair day almost everyday!

Well I am supposed to tag four blogger friends, but I am not tagging them. But I hope my friends like Stardust, BP, Jomel and iml would do it if they like to.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Always Late

Do you know of people who are ALWAYS late. And I mean ALWAYS!! Well, I do know a few.

When I was in school, there was one in our group who was always late , no matter what. And there were always excuses. She would be at least 30 minutes late every time we met. Sometimes as late as an hour. And boy! we hated waiting for her. But we still included her in all our activities coz she was a good friend. After many years of waiting, our group decided to tell her an earlier timing for one of our gatherings. We told her a time which was a half hour earlier than the appointed time for the rest of us. Guess what? She was on time that ONE day, and she was fuming mad that she had to wait a half hour for us!

What makes a person consistently late?

Poor planning? Well, when you dont plan ahead of time what you need and how long you will take, naturally you will be late. You cant be blaming the bus all the time. You have to wait for it. You cant expect it to be there waiting for you as you arrive at the bus-stop! (Unless you live in a country with very accurate bus schedules!)

A superior-than-thou attitude? Why should I waste MY time waiting for the rest? They can wait for me. I know a few who are like that. They know they are supposed to meet you at 6.30. But they leave their home at 6.00 to go to the shops to pick up something before meeting you, knowing that there is travelling time involved between the places, and queues and parking woes to contend with, etc, but they dont care. You can wait. And they dont even apologise when they arrive late! This type I really cant stand!! It simply shows their lack of consideration for others!

I am the hardly late sort. I will always factor into my travelling time traffic jams, which may not even be existent and an extra few minutes for any other contingencies. As a result, I am the sort that is usually at least 10 minutes early for appointments. And I can be quite anal about punctuality with my children.

My son and youngest is a bit like me. Always likes to be early. My oldest, on the other hand, doesnt. And it irks me! Everyone is always waiting for her. Whether its to school, from school, or going out anywhere. You tell her we have to leave at 10, and she is just changing at 10. I am the sort that when I say 10, I expect you to be all dressed and ready to jump into the car at that time, or at least be waiting for me at that time. But nothing I do seem to be able to make her change her attitude about being punctual!

Are you the punctual sort? I am sure you will be after reading this story. Enjoy.

A Priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 35 years in the parish. A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.

However, he was delayed, so the Priest decided to say his own few words while they waited:

"I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his boss's wife, and taken illegal drugs. I was appalled. But, as the days went on, I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people."

Just as the Priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and gave his talk:

"I'll never forget the first day our parish Priest arrived," said the politician. "In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession."


So are you going to be late from now on?

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

My Rule is not working anymore!

I used to have a rule that the kids were only allowed to open one present a day.

Be it Christmas or Birthdays, I had that one present rule. Why? Because with so many presents opened at one go, the kids do not appreciate the time, effort and money that was spent on that gift which was so thoughtfully given to them. You see, if they open 10 gifts, they will only zero in on their most favourite one, and all the rest would be just be left aside. Hence that rule came about.

But my kids were of course, unhappy with the rule. They think I am a killjoy!

But nowadays, that rule seems unimplementable anymore. Why? Coz they open a gift and its a dress. They try it on, dance around in it for 2 seconds, and I say: "Take it off now so that you dont dirty it, we can keep it for a special occasion." And then they say: "Can I open another present then?" And this softy will say "OK" and when they open the next present, its some gift vouchers which go straight into my handbag. And then they say, "can I open one more?" and the softy goes "OK" again!

And if that didnt happen, when I am out of sight, taking my shower, or doing something that I had not done, they rush and open ALL the presents!!

I dont make too much fuss after that coz what's done is done, what can I do? Wrap them all back? Also, not wanting to spoil too much of the excitement, I just say: "Did you forget about the one present rule?" And all I would get is a sheepish grin, and sometimes a "sorry!" which I am sure they dont mean!

Well, that rule was surely easier to implement when the kids were younger.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Party Woes

Can you host a party that will make EVERYONE happy?

I think its close to impossible, especially if you have children of different age groups and sex to cater to.

Well, you know about lil D's dance party. She had a blast! We had party organisers that taught them to do the Camp Rock dance, which she and her friends enjoyed. Ok, some of her friends enjoyed: the girls and a few boys, that is.

Some of the boys thought that dancing was Lame! (Dont they all use that word all the time nowadays?) Some of the girls were too shy to join in. Some of the siblings were to young to join is - coz they were mere toddlers. Other siblings (the boys) only wanted to play football and were not interested in this girlie stuff! My son refused to join in. My oldest felt she was too old to join the lil ones. Did I mention that it was hard to cater to everyone?

And since it was lil D's party, is it ok for me to say as long as she had a good time, all else doesnt matter? Does that make me a bad host?

Well, I know the parents had a good time with the gossip, food and drinks, hic! The males had a great time coz after the dancing, all of them from age 3 to 48 had a football game of 3 men vs 9 boys. Not sure who won, tho.

Anyway, its over, and que sera sera! We cant please everyone all the time!

Do I worry too much about inconsequentials?

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Only 7 more days

... to the end of the school year, and my baby will be moving on to Primary school!!

How time flies.

It seemed like only recently when she started pre-school, but now it is only a few more play days left before she goes into the proper school system.

She is not looking forward to it. It must be because she has seen how I stress her brother up to study and do his work! Ok, I am partly to blame.

She dreads the thought of having to go to a school that doesnt have a play ground. Having to wake up super early and not having mum to herself in the mornings is just not something she looks forward to. Coupled with tests and exams on the cards, and long school days, tell me which kid would enjoy school!!

So I am now trying my best to change my little one's impression of "BIG" school. I told her that her brother and sister loves the first day of school. They get to meet their old friends, and make new ones. And it is true, my son told me:

"I love the first day of school. But it would be better if it weren't followed by the second day of school, and the third day of school, and then the fourth day of school . . ." @_@

Have a great weekend ahead! and to all Hindu readers: "Happy Deepavali!"

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Brave Heart

Yes, today is the day the little Brave heart goes in for her 2nd heart operation.

Please join me in praying for a successful operation and her speedy recovery.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Getting Cold feet

As we make our final arrangements for our year end vacation, I am getting cold feet. Why?

Because, we will be staying with a friend!!

She was a school mate of mine in secondary school, that's some 30 years ago. We were very good chums, all part of a group of 7 girls that did many things together. We watched movies together, did vacation jobs together, went to each others home, stayed at the chalets together, basically hung out together.

But after school, we went our separate ways. I didnt quite get to know her husband, as she got married whilst I was living abroad. After we came back, we re-connected, but our jobs and family commitments hardly gave us much time to spend together.

She migrated 2 years ago, and every time she is back in Singapore, we do meet up for a meal and some gossips. BUT this time I will be staying with her for a whole week, AND with my family on top of that!!

Well, when she heard that we were travelling to where she was, she sort of insisted that we stay with her, and I agreed, coz ... I thought it would be good to be able to catch up with her, and ... think of all those savings in hotel accommodation!! Also, I thought I might offend her if I said no. In addition, her twin sister and our group of friends thought that it would be wonderful if I did stay with her. She had said that since her son was doing his National service over here, and there's only she and her husband in the home, their home was getting very quiet, and they could do with some company. And when she said that she had two spare bedrooms, which was just right for my family, I succumbed.

But now I worry:
What if we find that after all these years of not being so close, we now have nothing to talk about?? Especially we would have to chat EVERY night, right??
What if my kids misbehave whilst in her home?
What if we have nothing to say to her husband?
What if she only asked us out of courtesy?
What if ....

... there are so many more what ifs!!!

Now you know why I am getting cold feet???!!??