It’s my first time “tooting” - so as you can see in my title above (#1), I’m getting ready for weeks and weeks of tooting my own horn - hey! If you ain’t prepared to toot your own horn, then don’t expect anyone else to right?
This week, I’m just tooting about how drastically my cooking skills have improved. When I got married 2½ years ago, I could not cook, AT ALL - sure I cook boil water, fry an egg, cook rice, but I’m quite sure that’s not what we were going to live on. Hubby used to call my potato curry “apple curry” since I wasn’t even quite sure how to get that potato perfectly done in the curry!
Well, now, I cook for most of the meals in the week - we only have 2 meals out of the home in a week. Hubby has even come to the stage of being able to request for a particular dish with the hope confidence that it’s going to be spectacular!
So toot toot!
Wouldn’t this be THE invention of the year?
The munchkin is going through the free-and-easy phase. Very often we find her running past us without the bottom half of her clothing and diaper! And this is just plain stressful when you live in a fully-carpeted apartment. Since she doesn’t know what I’m talking about when I say “Where’s your diaper?” (or she’s just pretending), I find myself often having to search high and low for it. And, trust me, she’s VERY GOOD at hiding it. Thankfully, there haven’t been any major poop smears.
The incident that probably takes the cake (the poop cake) was one that happened a couple of weeks ago. She was calling out one morning, informing the neighbourhood ofcourse, that she was awake. Since hubby had not left for work yet, he decide to to go and pick up his little wide-eyed angel - well, that was probably what was in his mind till I heard him shouting out for me. Ofcourse, I jumped out of bed and ran there (not a very common occurence - the running, that is) to find the munchkin STARK NAKED! Yup! Stripped from head to toe, including the diaper.
I got there just in time to find her handing him the poop-filled/smudged diaper. Ofcourse, that was the perfect time for hubby to be “late” for work. After giving her a bath and throwing her sheets in the wash, I inspected her crib for remnants - but amazingly, there was none. Not even on her hands when I bathed her. Strange?
So don’t you think it’d be awesome to invent the Chastity “Diaper” Belt?
I have lost 1.3 pounds to date! This, ofcourse, fluctuates - but the good news? I’ve been disciplined enough to stick to my exercise routine AND my secret weight loss tips. Let’s hope it works 
Tickets have been bought! Seats have been chosen! And I’m ready to go….not quite yet. I still have 3 months to go. I cracked my brains to choose the seats for the munchkin and myself - this is what has become of the use of my brain.
Anyway, so far, I have booked seats at the back of the plane because someone online advised that the white noise helps kids to sleep. Well obviously, they haven’t met my munchkin. Nothing and I mean NOTHING gets her to sleep unless it’s her sleep time or she wants to.
After I had chosen the seats, I read another article that says there is a higher chance of nausea when seated at the back of the plane - especially during turbulence. So I’m planning to change the seats. I have 2 long flights - U.S. to Tokyo then Tokyo to Singapore. On the Tokyo-Singapore flight, there are 2-seaters so it’s just us, but not so for the U.S.-Tokyo flight.
Here’s another tip - book the aisle and window seat - there’s a chance the seat in the middle may be left empty. If not, when you get on the plane, just ask for an exchange with the passenger in the middle. NOONE is going to deny the request for you to sit next to your 2-year old. Remember to feign innocence and ENTIRELY blame the Airlines for the mess-up in seat allocation  - Also try to give your best “I’m at my wits end” look (this may not be so difficult after all - you may REALLY be at your wits end dragging THE TODDLER through the airport).
Here are some additions to the Travel Checklist. The ones in bold are the newest.
1. Diapers (10 day-time diapers and 2 night-time diapers) - call me paranoid but the munchkin has had diarrhoea on a plane before.
2. 1 refill packet of wipes.
3. 1 changing mat.
4. Pooh bags (Glad bags to throw the soiled diapers in)
5. 2 sippy cups (1 for milk and 1 for water)
6. 4 wash cloths
7. 4 bibs (I hardly use these anymore but I think they could be useful on the plane)
8. 1 ziploc bag full of crackers (cheerios, fish crackers)
9. 4 bottles of Gerber food (if she’s still eating it at that time, she hardly wants to eat it anymore)
10. 3 packets of Quaker cereal
Nothing to do with boobs ofcourse!
Who needs enemies when you have A TODDLER in a home. A toddler who sets up strategically placed objects also known as toys in places that are bound to trip you or at least hurt you in some way.
I’ve almost gotten used to walking with a marching stride to avoid balls, buckets, stuffed toys, books - you name it, it’s lying on the floor in my home. But nothing can prepare you for that LOVELY feeling of being stabbed in the butt as you comfortably plonk yourself onto the couch.
That’s exactly what happened a couple of days ago - I had made myself a refreshing, rejuvenating cup of tea. Little did I know that I was just about to get a real rejuvenating experience of a lifetime. I sort of plonked myself down onto the couch - only to, first, feel this sharp pain on my rear end (the culprit? a wooden block with VERY SHARP corners)and THEN the scalding sensation of the hot tea on my lap as I tried to shoot up quickly.
Who needs enemies?
I strongly suspect that my last growth spurt started when I was 3 and is still going strong! The only problem is…..this seems to be one never-ending horizontal growth spurt! I think it’s time I do something about it. I’ve started exercising at home on a pretty regular basis (I’ve had the most success this year at least keeping to the schedule) and I’ve just started trying to follow some dieting tips - ofcourse I’m not going to reveal these tips unless they prove to be successful - wouldn’t want someone else getting all excited about trying it until I know if it works. And, NO, I’m not taking any form of medication or prescriptions - I don’t even like taking medicine when I’m sick. I’m going all-naturalé.
So right now, I weigh………DRUM ROLL………xyz pounds and I need to loose ab pounds - AHA! You thought I was actually going to reveal my weight in this blogosphere??? So all you need to know is that my goal weight is (xyz - ab)pounds. What can I say - you can take me out of teaching Maths but you just can’t take the Maths teacher out of me (my classic quote!) 
Wish me luck!
There are only two classes of travel - first class and with children. I like that! Especially since I’m going to be in one of those classes in October, obviously the latter. I will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime - travelling 8475 miles (9428 miles in reality with the selected route) alone with a very active 2 year old back to Singapore for a holiday.
As excited as I am to see my family and friends again - the nerves have started biting me on the rear end as the time gets closer.
The first blessing I have is that the little munchkin has a seat of her own - kids who are 2 or older are required to have their own seat. Now, I just have to think of what form of restraint child-safety system I’m going to use. The current Evenflo car seat she uses is too big to fit in the plane seat which makes one wonder why they even bother putting the FAA-approved sticker on it. And more importantly, I doubt I can lug that big old thing through the airports with me.
So follow me through this journey (my Thursdays are dedicated to this) as I research, plan and prepare for this - including the feedback on how my methods worked and what the experience was like. Every week, I’ll add a little or a lot to my list and hopefully some tips as well. Feel free to contribute ANY tip to make this trip easier
Let’s kick off this list (let me warn you, I can be quite paranoid detailed - it’s Day 1 so I’m going easy) with :
1. Diapers (10 day-time diapers and 2 night-time diapers) - call me paranoid but the munchkin has had diarrhoea on a plane before.
2. 1 refill packet of wipes.
3. 1 changing mat.
4. Pooh bags (Glad bags to throw the soiled diapers in)
Water in a bottle, cheerios in a ziploc bag, bread and biscuits in a container, diapers, wipes, bags, changing mat, change of clothes - and we were all set for our trip to the movies this morning. I have gotten used to this concept of not being able to go out without the “supplies” since the munchkin was born. So anyway, I bought some tickets for kids’ movies - they run through summer at 10.30am every Tuesday and Thursday morning. $5 for 8 movies - what a deal! A movie timing catered to the restlessness and noise of kids - an EVEN better deal!
So far we’ve seen Surf’s Up and Veggie Tales - and today, TODAY was the day I have been waiting for, for Shrek 3. I just can’t get enough of the Shrek series - and the munchkin just loves Shrek. I know I know - not always appropriate content for an almost 2-year old, but hey! We made it through the whole movie in one piece today - not without the expected hiccups of a pooh scare at the beginning of the movie (only to rush to the restroom to find out that it turned out to be just a farting spree!) And through the expected loud laughs of the munchkin, the screams when there was any form of violence, the demands for a constant mouth-refill of snacks, the boredom of sitting on a booster seat - we finally got to enjoy Shrek 3 and we loved it!
I am finally beginning to be able to ignore the stares during the movie when the little munchkin makes too much sound (hey - that’s what kiddie screening times are for!) or attempts to jump up and down on the spot by her seat (she just needs some stretching ok!). I am growing up to be a parent now!
Welcome to my blog. Just a bit about this blog. Why? That seems to be THE question - why start a blog? I had never even heard of blogs till a friend of mine introduced me to the concept 2 years ago. The idea, though slightly geeky, appealed to who else, but the geek in me. But at that time, I was just TOO pregnant (if there is even such a concept!) to bother with one. So I sat on the idea, and then I sat on it more till it just got squished……till 8 months ago when I started a blog to update my family and friends of the happenings in my life.
Then just a couple of months ago, I decided why not blog about the subject who seems to be the centre of my universe right now and who also happens to be the only employee on my payroll right now - my 21-month old bundle of never-ending energy. A place to rant, rave, share, celebrate all about my little girl - most of the time anyway. And then all the questions followed. Will anyone actually want to read my blog? First of all, will anyone actually find my blog? Will I be wannabe-funny enough to keep them readers coming back? Does the blogosphere REALLY need another momma-blogger? Then I thought - what the cheerios (note - this is the bleep for the you-know-what word)!
This blog is really part of a bigger picture - a website I want to develop - a one-stop for parents. I guess it’ll develop hand-in-hand as I get feedback from any readers I may get? Shall get? Will get? Must get?
So here goes………
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