Listen to goolymom!

One of my favorite things to do is browsing through the net.. I have progressed from stalking people's blogs (like yours) to sophisticated online shopping sites (pa, If you are reading this, I said BROWSE a.k.a screen-shopping).

Sometimes I go..."oh wow, that's one damn good creation"(I.e the dildo with 5 speeds - kwakwakwa...joking..reallly....I don't surf hamsap Japanese Lolita shops).

Ok, if you really wanna know, some good creations would be those stick on gel -like bras (though it's not something new), the beaba all in one food processor for babies (although it's too expensive for a six months usage?). I have bought cloth diapers online and saved quite some dough there....and there are really cute stuff like Trunki luggage, Korean stlye dresses, etc. which are all too tempting to resist.

And then..there are some really useless stuff, like:-

A. Snoring bears that comfort babies with..erm..snores. If there is anyone/anything that can snore, that would be me! (not that I am proud...but why waste money on something most of us can do? ......what do you mean you don't snore?? Harumph!)

B. A machine that...*giggles*.. are you ready for this..? A machine that tells you the reasons infants cry. This is how it works - You turn the damn thing on, bring it close to your baby when she cries, and the indicator tells you if the baby is hungry, has a wet nappy, is sleepy. It
knows by judging the cries of the baby (soft kerlian type or bawling like chisin type). I am sure there is a section that is labeled dan lain lain as in "how the hell I know why your frigging baby is crying?" . Gosh! Do people actually buy this stuff?

C. A machine that boosts the intelligence of your baby..erm..fetus...Just plug in the machine for a few minutes everyday the moment you conceived, bring it close to your tummy, and voila, you will give birth to Einstein! (mumbles "suckers!")


D. Are then there are devices that will help babies "think" they are still in the comfort of the wombs (heart beat sounds, waves sounds, etc.)..err...sorry, but helllo the baby is out already..wake up wake up. Why bluff her or deny her the truth? Let's get on with the survival mode already, and not wrap them in bubbles (well, in this case, wombs.)

Ok, end of reviews. Sigh, how am I gonna earn money thru blogging if I keep giving honest brutal reviews like these???!

The waffle story part 2

Ok..so the next day while sharing a glass of Chatime bubble tea, in the car..the conversation somehow was directed back to the "waffle story".

Gooly, I think, felt a bit suckered for giving away the waffle which he hasn't even had a bite yet.

"I was too generous-lah," he said sounding melancholic, and with a tinge of regret. "I think I give too much,"

And so I said.........(long winded words of wisdom - or not, ahead)

Don't worry about giving too much.

In life, we give and we take.

We must feel happy when we give.

God is happy when we give.

When we give, we receive. Sometimes we don't, but that's ok too cos we don't give expecting to be rewarded.

He nodded and nodded and nodded. (signs of tuning out?)

Then he asked, "You know how does God reward you when you are good?"

Hmmm..maybe with a slice of meatloaf? - I joked.

And he said, "Silly mom. Its love. And that's the best reward."

That's my boy. Full of wisdom over a waffle story.

I have heard moms teaching kids to be selfish (with added words like "a little bit selfish sometimes" - to perhaps soften the ideology of kiasuism). And I here I am telling my son not to worry about giving too much. Will he be a push over? Will he be taken granted of? Will he be hurt?

Well, I can only say.."Kindness in giving creates love - Lao Tzu."

the waffle story part UNO

Last week, gooly lamented that he was getting bored of eating vanilla bun for recess. Cant blame him, it has been what..10 months? He's beginning to look like a nun.. I mean bun. Time to change the menu!

So I bought him a gardenia waffle instead.

On the very day, as soon as he came home, I asked how was the waffle (note that it was as though I prepared him a Grade A bento set? Actually it was kinda bento-ish cos I put the waffle into a square container shaped like a slice of bread *proud*)

And he proceeded tell me the story about the waffle.

"Lam Mee Yoke took it. She just grabbed it. Actually she asked first. Then it dropped on the floor. It was Kwok Fu Shing's fault."

Wooooah..hold it hold it. That's a whole lot of info there. Who is Lam Mee Yoke? Why did she take your waffle? Is she your friend? And right at the corner of my heart - Are you being bullied? Bee boo bee boo~~ red alert red alert!!

Of course I didn't say what I was thinking. I wanted to know how he felt before planting any unfounded fear into his head.

As it turns out, Lam Mee Yoke is a good friend, and she didn't have any food with her, and she would really really like to eat a waffle that day. And so Gooly gave his to her.

Now if you knew Gooly well, you will know that he loves his food.Eating is a biggie to him. He lives to eat( like his mom). So again, I wondered if he was 'pressured' into giving his waffle.

Thus I tried digging for more details without using words like "bullied, forced, etc."

And I found out that he wanted to be generous, but not really but in the end, decided to be. A typical 6 year old's frame of indecisive mind. Haha! So everything is fine..it was just a simple case "should I give, should I not - I think I should." No bullies, momma! Geesh! The imagination of a lactating mom!

And then we came to the second part of the story, where Mr. Kwok fooled around and caused the waffle to drop.

"Were you mad?"

"Just a bit. But I must control my temper."

Ah...the last bit just made me wanna buy him a dozen waffles.

Anyways, the waffle story made me wondered - what constitutes bullying? Many times I have heard parents saying that their kids are bullied. While there are genuine cases whereby one feels ostracized or threatened by bullies, there are just some cases of overtly concerned parents. Say for example, Gooly's waffle story. It did cross my mind that he may be bullied, but I gave it a better thought. First, he's as happy as a lark. Does well academically (wooh...been dying to say this! Should I cap and bold it?? :p). So what's the problem?

We both agreed - Gooly and I, that Ms. Lam's approach is uncouth. Well, there are many kids who can't verbalise their requests politely. My nephew, for one, says "I like to eat now." Mind you, it's not like as in "i would like to eat now." He is meaning, I like, gimme gimme gimme. now now now!

So, the lack of manners, resulting in snatching or asking as though demanding.. have all caused some parents to think they are bullies. And the natural approach would be teaching their own kid some self defense skills i.e say no to your friends, tell teacher if he takes your eraser again..etc.

I dunno - lah! I suppose because parents love their kids mucho..thus this fierce protection shield.

But I kinda like less hostile scenarios. Give kids the benefit of doubt. Pasang radar betul betul. Detect the real bullies, and not just label those who are rude or (fill in own adjectives) as $/&:;$*^#% bullies.

So Ms Lam, today my son gave you waffle, tomorrow you give him nasi lemak 2.0 lah*...

Shatu mereishia ma.. (simply hentam!)

* See see she really say, "Lat sei niamah"

The crawling

She's on all fours.

Her brows furrow in full concentration,

She is thinking what to do next.

She lifts her bum up high,

She jiggles her butt.

She stops. Sweat on forehead emerges.

Her arm shakily moves forward.

She loses balance and flops to her side.

Mom says, "Ops! It's ok. You can do it!"

She tries again with all her might.

This time she manages to leap forward, using both her feet, like a frog.

She smiles.

Mom cheers, and pulls toy slightly further away.

She tries again and again to reach for the toy.

It's hardwork. But she's determined.

And so she crawls, albeit clumsily, before she sits unsupported.

*grins*

Bravo!

Missed me?

Gooly had had an eventful day. Since it was after the school finals, he was allowed to have as much fun as he could. {Utter rubbish. He has had fun whilst taking his exams with very minimal revision} Hence, the moment he awoke till a little while ago, he was playing and playing, with this cousin, that cousin and another cousin.

Meanwhile, Lil Lolly was excited, refusing nap times even, because of all the commotion in the house. Naturally I was a bit tied down with her, and got really tired by evening.

In between play time, Gooly managed to make an appoinment with me - a Milo date to be precise. But as soon as Lolly hit the sack, I found myself dozing off. And soon, I heard sobbing.

It was Gooly. Scared the crap out of me. Thought he hurt himself or something.

"Nobody drank Milo with me *sob* and you are so tired *sob* I didnt want to disturb you *sob* but you promised *sob* good night mummy *sob* your milo *sob* my milo *sob sob* on table *sob*"

Such drama!

Actually I didnt {and don't} really understand what he was saying. I was in a daze still, having been just awaken from a syok slumber. In my head was littered with "What milo? Who milo? Whhaa??"

But I hugged him. He sobbed harder. He must have missed me after a whole day of fun fun fun sans me.

While it was fun playing, Momma is still the best company right before bedtime, eh?

I dragged my ass out into the kitchen, and saw a cuppa Milo (made by whom, I dunno). He had finished his. So he watched me drink mine. It was very odd that he kicked a fuss over a Milo date which almost didnt materialize.

Odd, but fuzzy warm too, just like the Milo I gulped down for his sake.

Lolly screams

Lolly is such a screaming banshee that she can be classified as a first class noise pollutant. If you hear or see a shout for no reason babe at the mall, park, library - yep, thats her. But if you are a male, do not go near her. She's gotten wary of men. Good! Thankfully, she adores her dad despite not seeing him that often. i'm telling ya..the dresses he bought her made a whole lot of difference of how selective she can be.

She wallops just about everything we feed her. Drinks water from the spoon like a pro. Heck, she eats like a pro. She's born to eat! Finished a quarter of a small apple, and wanted more. So...yep, she screamed.

I didnt know she could sit till Winn plopped her on the table. Well, not really sitting..more like hunching over.But thats worth mentioning cos apparently Winn believes that the next time I leave Lolly with her, she will magically walk (Lolly, not Winn). But before that..she crawls..backwards. And she propels forward, kinda like a frog. And if she doesnt have much room to explore her new found skill..yep..she screams.

She also grunts like a troll. Great entertainment for the whole family. Before that she could do the longest ppppbbbbbtttth sound complete with saliva spewing. But that was so last week. This week is grunt and growl...sounds that make her monstrously cute.

She kinda weaned herself off finger sucking. Kinda..not entirely. She still sucks her fore finger prior to sleeping, but stops as soon as she is asleep. The finger is not perpetually in the mouth like how it used to. That's a relief in a sad way. Relief cos I was told it's so much harder to quit finger sucking than pacifier. And we may need to chop her finger off (my friend is obviously not in the correct mental health to suggest any parenthing tips). Sad cos that was her signature pose. Something that made me smile all the time.


Most importantly, when she sees me, she smiles mega big., like I'm special and fantastic like that. Ok, I convieniently left out some people. She smiles whenever she sees ama, korkor, papah.. the whole gang who plays with her. So we are all her favourite things in the world.

So there..a happy, contended baby who screams for joy. A summary of Lolly's life thus far.

Bohemian babe

Supposed to wear this beautiful dress to a dear friend's wedding. But she's getting ahem...slightly big. Sigh! What a waste. She looks absolutely stunning in it.

6.0

...the backward crawl has begun, albeit clumsily.

And we are hanging out more hankies and bibs. Food marathon has also commenced.

I hereby, declare the 2nd phase of baby's life officially "open".

*cut reben*

*fake smile at paparazzi cameras*

Impressed

The other day, we went to the park and met my nephew's cousin (from his mom's side). This boy is about 11, and my...he is one of the finest boy I have met. He ran towards us, and greeted me and my mom, "Auntie, Por Por" with no prompting from anyone. And he has only met us a couple of times before. I could also see that he takes good care of his little sister. When we asked him stuff, he looked at us and answered reasonably and politely.

Nothing impress me more than a child with manners, empathy and kindness, I really dont care about your academic results. First, learn how to carry proper conversatiom, before you worry about the As and Bs. (applicable for moms and dads too.)

So whenever I meet someone as like-able, I do pray that Gooly grows to be a gentleman too. Hence, I do give him many opportunities to practice some skills. Like today, a good friend got married. I taught him a good handshake - firm and with confidence. And a sincere 'congratulations'.

Anyways..

The other day, I was lining up at the famous assam laksa stall. He was seated with my mom. He walked over to me when it was almost my turn. "Mom, do you need help? Let me help."

Now thats a perfect gentleman.

Just like how the boy impressed me, I do hope someday someone will say that my boy is inspiring too.