Mum with Hope

How I teach my children?

2010-10-28T23:34:00.002+10:00

Just in the week, I have had 2 friends with young child asking me how to teach their children. Their children are age 2.5 and 3. The 'Terrible Two' stage and what I called it 'the negative three' stage. The things they want to teach their kids are manner, sharing, meal times, and obeying their parents. These are just normal things that every kid needs to learn. That also means they need to be taught in order to learn these skills.

Generally, it does not matter what you want to teach your children the principle is always the same.
Personally I strongly hold on to these:

1) Be a role model - do not expect your child to be an angel if you are not one. Children learn from their parents by watching them how/what they do everyday. A smoking parent will see his/her child mimicking the action. At home, I do not need to ask my children to read books, all I have to do is to get a book out myself and start reading it, the next thing you will see is my kids go and get their books and start reading them. You know they just want to be like you. It is not easy as we do have short falls and are not perfect. However that does not excuse us not to be our best behaviour to show our children what they should do.

2) Who's the boss? - from birth we teach our children that us the parents are the boss. We are in charge not them. They listen and obey us not us obey them and fulfilling their wishes all the time. They can tell us what they want and we make the decision. Since birth, we taught them how to sleep at night by themselves, we let them know our lives do not evolve around them but they have to fit into our lives. We take them to church, to shop, to friends house and they have to learn to be there because us the parents want to be there. Having said that we do not deprive our children from having fun and going to places like parks and playgound but it is up to us the parents to decide that. Jonathan can ask me to take him to the park but I will make decision based on the time of the day and if I say we could go tomorrow I make sure I keep my promises. Children remember everything you said to them and keeping our promises are so important to let our children know that they can trust their parents.

Children often use crying, tantrums, nagging to try to get you to do/give them what they want. As parents, I let them know it does not work! I say to my children they can choose to cry all day and it still would not change my mind. If I said NO, that means NO! Believe me it is very hard to put up with the screaming and crying but you only have to do it a few times and they will get the idea that it does not work. When I see Jono started to cry, I would say you know it wont work for mummy and very quickly he will stop because from past experience he knows it won't work.

3) Be consistent - I sometimes fail on this one but it is very important to be consistent in our dealing with our kids. Being consistent allow our children to know what our expectations are and that helps them more easily to be compliant. For example, we make sure we pray before we eat our food and we make sure we do it everytime. Our children now know to wait and only start eating after we have prayed. Of course there were time when we forgot to pray and guess what? Jono would said 'mum, we forgot to pray". Oops. :D

4) Be persistent - this is a diffiult one as well! For example, if I ask my children to pick up their toys, I will persist until they do pick up their toys. By doing this, you let them learn that they do not get away with things easily. It is a very important to do as parents. As I have seen it too often in my dealing at school with kids that they just have no respcet for teachers/others because they think they can get away from not following the rules, showing no basic manners and just being arrogant. As I say it's hard but it is worth it for the long run.

5) Be flexible - this might be a bit of a contradiction here, but basically what it is is to bear in mind things do change over time. You know sometimes giving your child a sticker is enough to motivate them but once they get sick of it you might to need to use something else. One recent example is at meal times our children are expected to finish all their food. However, for some reason Esther was sick/teething in the last week and had lost her appetite. It was very obvious that she just did not want food as she usually is a good eater and often finishes her food before any of us. Well after a several time refusing food and looking at her being sick , I decided to just give her yoghurt, banana and milkt just things that she would eat. Well after a week I could see her appetite coming back so I slowly giving her the regular food that we eat at meal times. She is much better now and is happily eating her food again. So as I say we can be flexible depending on the situation and us as parents make adjustment accordingly. Our children have to learn to obey and trust their parents that we do try to make the best decision for them. At the same time, if we have made mistakes, we make sure we do apologise to our children and let them know that we are also learning and we do have weaknesses. It is also a good way to tell them if we make mistakes it is ok to admit it and correct it. So be flexible according to the needs but do not deviate from the other principles.

6) Start them when they are young - just like anything it is just simply the easiest way to get a higher success rate. That's why most sport training/music training start when they kids are young. You want to get to them before other things ocuppying them and they do not want to learn anything you teach them. For exmaple things like sleeping by themselves, if you start from birth then they will have no difficulty to sleep by themselves at 3. I sympathesize with parents who still have children sleeping with them. You know it is just not the best for the couple. Mummy and daddy need to have their own space as well. Our children all sleep by themselves in their own bed in their own room. The only thing that we allow is in morning when they wake up they can come into our bed and have a snuggle up time just before we get up. :D

Another example is reading or the love of books. From birth we read to them, let them play with board/cloths books and take them to the library and buy books for them. They have been exposed to books from birth so reading books are just part of our lives. Statistic shows kids who are good at reading are those who have parents read to them regularly.

Last example I can give is how to keep the children away from touching things. Ever since our children can touch/grab things we have continually showing them what they can touch and what they cannot touch. For example, most parents would let their kids play with their mobile phones, but we do not. Mobile phones are not toys! My kids will give me my mobile phone when they see me left it on the table and even if they pick it up and wanted to press a few buttons but when I saw it and ask for it back they would always give it back to me. They know that they are not allow to have it. They also know not to open up cupboard doors and touch the things inside. They need permisson if they have to. Having said that I do dedicate a drawer in the kitchen where they can touch, we purposely put all the tupperware containers stuff in there to let them play. It is particularly handy when I am cooking in the kitchen and the kids wanted to be with me. They know they can play with that drawer.

Last but not least as Christian parents we cannot do this by ourselves. We depend fully on God and His word. We pray for our children, we pray for patience, strength and wisdom! We do not forget about LOVE as well. My beliefs is we love our children but we do not spoil them. One of my approaches to parenting is to keep it real! You know one of the hardest things as parents is to prepare our children for the real life?

Often when we see a baby we only think about changing nappies, feeding the baby milk and other baby related things. However, before you know it this baby has grown into a teenager going to become and adult in a few years. Now think about what have we done as parents to equip them for the real world, a world where we can't be with them all the time, a world where other can be cruel and selfish. The real test of our parenting will determine how our children survive in the real life. In real life you don't get whatever you want whenever you want it. In real life you have to follow the boss's instructions and crying or kicking tantrums would not get you anywhere. In real life you have to learn to be independent because mummy or daddy are not there to make you food and do your work for you. Are you feelling overwhelmed being a parent? Well I am, it is such a huge respnsibility and I am still learning. It is a continual learning process, so daddy and mummy let us all learn together because this world needs better parents!

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

P.S: I am not an expert of parenting as I could only speak from my own experience. I would really like it for anyone who reads this blog to give some feedbacks. Especially if you are parents and it would be nice to share your experience and what you believe is important for parents to know. Thanks!

September and October Photo Stories

2010-10-27T22:24:00.003+10:00

I have been very slacked at blogging. Here's some photos we took in the last two months.

Jono jumping on the trampoline at our church's family camp.

Us at Handorf

Unley Church Family Camp

Jono and Esther doing their painting on a rare sunny day!

My burnt potatoes! Yes I left it on the stove cooking in the morning and left for work. WIth God's grace after nearly about 8 hours of constatnt burning the house is still intact. There were only the smoke and burnt smell. God is watching over us no doubt! Needless to say I now try to check everything before I leave the house. :D

Jono's illustration of a 'fish'. The eyes are so big. LOL

Us at the Big Rocking Horse at Barossa.

The Whispering Wall. It was quite an interesting experience. From the photo you could see the wall is in a curve and you could speak at one end of the wall to another person at the other end of the wall. It sounded just as you are talking next to each other. It is in fact the retaining wall of the Barossa Reservoir. Jono was really amazed that the wall could talk to him. LOL.

Us at the Whispering Wall

Dane and some friends from church doing some wine tasting.

Us at one of the wineries at the Barossa.

The kids making funny faces.

Drumming :D

Us with our very special friends. They have relocated from Adelaide to Singapore about 2 weeks ago. We can't wait to catch up with them when we go to Singapore in Feb.

Time has gone really fast, we are nearly at the end of 2010. We are counting our blessings one by one and amazed at what our God had done for us!

Toys Toys Toys!!!!

2010-09-10T12:58:00.000+10:00

I had been thinking to get rid/sell some of the toys we have. Especially those toys that the kids have grown out of. Just then I put Esther's fisher price activity table on ebay, and was going to put another leap frog toy on there as well. BUT I changed my mind about that one. Mainly because it was one of the few that I bought for Jonathan since he's a baby and it would be really good for other babies who come to our place. So I am keeping it a bit longer. :D

Anyway, we actually hardly buy our kids toys! Yes, hard to believe when people come to our house and they see the amount of toys we got and must be thinking 'wow, the kids are really spoilt!' The fact is only 20% of the toys are purchased by us, 60% are presents from family and friends, another 20% are hand me down toys given by other generous parents. Dane's family have a habit of buying the kids toys in every occasion - Easter, birthdays, Christmas and anytime in between. At Esther's 1st birthday, she received at least 5 big items from her auntie and another 3/4 things from Dane's mum. Then other things from family and friends. Maybe I should let them know to give 'money' instead and we can put it in the kids bank account! Just like the Chinese tradition of giving Ang Pow. However I do understand their point of views, it's their way of showing their love and they think it's their jobs to spoil the kids. They think giving money is rude and insincere so all I can say is "THANK YOU" and I hope the children will appreciate them.

I personally prefer to make fun using what we already have (such as boxes, bottles, and other bits and pieces of materials). It encourages the kids to use their imagination and creativity. We also buy lots of books for our kids. Being a teacher myself and understand the value of books and what they can offer, we make sure our children love books and read them. Esther can sit for at least 30 minutes by herself just looking through her favourite books. Jonathan loves listening to stories and he loves making up his own stories too. He also likes books on facts and often ask many questions. Nevertheless, we thank God that our children are learning to look after their toys and sharing them.


The Activity Table I put on ebay

The Playroom

We made our own book 'My visit to the Adelaide Zoo'.

Some of our collection of children books

August photo stories (Jono's birthday Week)

2010-09-02T16:29:00.001+10:00

Our boy has just turned 4 in August! We really thanked God for his goodness to us as parents. We are so blessed that Jonathan is healthy, bright, chatty, active and he loves the Lord Jesus. Here are some of the photos we took during his birthday week and Dane's parents and sister also visited us for a couple of days. It was so good to have them around!

The birthday celebration


Jonathan's 4th birthday cake made by wonderful daddy


The birthday boy with his present from Esther

Our trip to the Adelaide Zoo

Us at the Adelaide Zoo


We saw Wang Wang and Funi!

Aunty Mel with Esther

Jono and his favourite Aunty Mel

Esther enjoying cooking using our homemade stoves!

Jonathan the Explorer

July Photo Stories

2010-09-02T16:01:00.000+10:00

I had been quite busy since started working again. Hence I only just have time to put up some photos we took in July.

Esther playing in the kitchen

Jonathan and daddy making yummy dinner

Esther playing with playdough

We started putting the kids in the same room. They slept well every night! And now we have a spare room for visitors.

Jesus loves me this I know

2010-08-21T23:01:00.000+10:00

Few days ago I asked Jono what did he do at childcare. As usual he would say 'nothing' meaning he did nothing at childcare. :D Anyway, I asked him did he sing some songs and he said 'yes mum but we didn't sing Jesus loves me.' This is one of his favourite songs and he would sing it quite often at home. It is so simple that even a child can know that JESUS loves him because the Bible says so.

Download this mp3 from Beemp3.com

Home

2010-07-31T22:33:00.012+10:00

Have been thinking about where home is. Since coming to Adelaide, I have to explain numerous times where I came from. "Yes, we just moved here from Brisbane, and yes if you are wondering I came from Malaysia originally." My background would be Australian Malaysian Chinese married to an Australian Caucasian.

My root will always be Malaysia. A place where I grew up and had spent about 20 years of my life there with my families and friends. My mum and brothers are still there and I would be the only one here in Australia if not counting Dane and his family. Now I have my own family (hubby and 2 children) here in Australia and I have also taken up Australian citizenship not long ago. In which I had to give up my Malaysian citizenship. Many people commented that I can live in Australia as permanent resident forever but I wanted a sense of belonging not a bit here and a bit there. I decided to be faithful to a country where my little family belongs and wanted to be part of it and being proud of being Australian. It is like an adopted child fully accepted into the family. Soon I will be able to vote!

I do miss Malaysia from time to time. Mainly because of my mum and so wish we are closer to her. However, I am certain that I would not go back to live in Malaysia in the foreseeable future. In fact the closest I would be to Malaysia would be Singapore. It is close to my hometown but in a better country. Many Malaysian Chinese would agree with me that we are commonly treated as second citizens in Malaysia. I do not want my children growing up feeling and being treated the same way. There are many inequalities in Malaysia and it certainly is not about the level of wealth or development of the country but the condition and mistreatment that are imposed on the non indigenous ethnic groups. On the other hand, I am in fact 100% Chinese and both my grandparents were from China. But my tie to China stops at that and China is indeed a foreign country to me. So where do I belong? I actually do not belong to any of these countries due to many reasons. Firstly, I am not Chinese living in China even though I am 100% Chinese. Then even though I grew up in Malaysia but I was never a full Malaysian in the sense of belonging. And now I am an Australian citizen who is not born and bred here.

I have to make decision together with hubby on how we should raise our children. Do we raise them purely Australians? Do we instill Malaysian and Chinese in them? Ideally, I would love them to be able to speak Chinese, love Chinese, Malaysian and Australian food and cultures, and to be proud of who they are and their mixed backgrounds.

So back to my questions, where is home? To me my earthly home is where my loved ones are. For now my home is Australia and Malaysia will always have a special place in my heart. However, we as Christians should not get too tangled up about where our home is because we are only passing by and our home is in Heaven! Let us live our lives for God wherever He put us. :D

June Photo Stories

2010-07-07T20:47:00.000+10:00

Time has gone so quickly, we have been in Adelaide for about 2 months now and we are loving it! We have not visited many tourist places yet just enjoying time together as family when Dane has the time off work. God is good all the time!

Jono and his pet 'scruff' enjoying their breakfast.

Esther all dressed up ready to embrace another cold day.

Jono is making a banana sandwich. He is a good helper in the kitchen.

Esther loves playing with Lego Duplo.

Jono making his favourite egg sandwich

Esther and Jono having fun at Koorong bookstore in the city. We love their full size playcentre!

He watches over us!

2010-06-21T22:33:00.002+10:00

This post was meant to be posted back in April but somehow I forgot to publish it. While I was going through my post I discovered this and now I am publishing it to share with all my dear friends. :D

As a mother of 2 kids I would say one of the hardest things in looking after children is when they are sick. Esther was really ill on one Saturday night about 2 months ago. She was all good during the day and went to bed as usual at about 7pm. However at about 10:30pm she was crying and screaming. I went in to her room and found her looking very pale and ill. She started throwing up when I picked her up from her cot. I tried to clean up everything and put her back in her cot thinking that she should be ok now since she almost threw up all of her dinner. However she continued to throw up intermittently like every 5 mins. My heart was aching seeing her in such a miserable state. She had nothing else to vomit but still had the urge to. :( She was so sleepy and really wanted to go back to sleep but just impossible with the constant throwing up.

I did not know what to do except to clean her up and comfort her. I tried very hard to stay awake to look after her but it was like 11:30pm already and I was really tired from a busy day. I got a chair and sat right in front of her cot so I could help her when she throw up. While I was struggling to keep my eyes opened, Psalm 121 came into mind. What a great promise it is to know that God who watches over us will not slumber nor sleep. I can just trust and totally depend on Him that nothing is out of His hands and He is my help! In contrast, us human is so limited in our own strength. I would love to stay awake and do everything for Esther but physically my body was tired and I was really struggling.

By about 12am midnight, Esther had threw up at least 15 times. However thanked God she was finally able to go back to sleep with no more vomiting. I was able to go back to sleep knowing that God is watching over both of us! The next morning she was back to normal and her happy self.

Psalm 121:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip
He who watches over you will not slumber
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor th emoon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming an dgoing
both now and forevermore.

Dear friends, will you let this true and living God watch over you?

May Photo Stories

2010-06-20T20:36:00.000+10:00

We visited Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo on our way to Adelaide

Jono with the 'rhino'

Esther and daddy with the lion

Esther loved the 4 days car trip except when she needed her nappy change. :D

Entering South Australia border!

Jono and I at a town called Berri (if you know Berri juice, this is where it comes from), South Australia.

Esther enjoying her time at the Beach House at Glenelg Beach

Vegies Magic

2010-06-19T09:44:00.001+10:00

Many kids these days are very picky with what they eat. My nearly 4 year old used to loved his vegetables and he would devour them happily at meals time. However, sometimes during his life, he decided he would only eat carrots, peas, corn, potatoes, pumpkin and nothing else. He used to be a big fan of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, and some chinese vegies. To have a closer look, those vegies that he likes now are mainly sweet and have strong textures. Perhaps that is why he prefers to eat them these days.

The dillema is preparing meal has become more complicated as to what to put in it. We love brocolli, capsicums, cabbages for our stir fry but then that means I had to only serve Jono with what he would eat. So, using my teacher brain, I decided to use a bit of vegies magic. :D It just means to make eating vegies fun and appealing.

We now make vegies art during meal time and do all sort of funny tricks with them like eating lettuce with one hand only, eyes closed, guessing games and whatever comes to my mind. To my delight, Jono really enjoys it and it also makes meal time one of our favourite family times.

Jono and his vegies bunny.

I asked him what could he make with the vegies and this is what he came up with. Very clever I thought!

A for Adelaide!

2010-05-31T22:09:00.000+10:00

I'm very proud to say that "We are finally in Adelaide!" Loving the people and the old buildings here. We are surrounded by beautiful autumn leaves everywhere and of course the cold weather. The family is so happy and we are all so glad to be able to see hubby/daddy everyday. Jonathan is most excited about daddy being around again and Esther could not wait to run up to daddy everyday when he comes back from work. And me? I'm just enjoying doing everyday things with Dane such as having meals together, bathing the kids together, and read/pray/putting the kids to bed every night. Also having Dane with me every night after the kids has gone to bed.

All thanks and praises are due to God cause He is faithful and kind to us. He brought us to some wonderful Christian friends in a real amazing way. He also provided us everything that we need in this new place - we just have to trust and obey!

April Photo Stories

2010-05-01T21:14:00.001+10:00

April was an exciting month. We had Easter, My citizenship ceremony and lots of fun time with Dane/daddy at the Queensland Rail Museum.

Esther getting into her Easter eggs!

Jonathan with some of his Easter gifts

Dane and Esther at my citizenship ceremony

Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!

At Queensland Rail Museum. It was so much fun and very kids oriented. Jonathan and Esther both had a blast that day! Interestingly Dane's grandfather actually used to work in the rail workshop here.

One of the displayed steam train

There was lots of activities for children to explore at the rail museum. We made a few teddy bear puppets together.

Jonathan and Esther playing with trains at the 'Toy Box' in the Rail Museum

Esther was trying to cook alongside me while I was busy cooking dinner. Start them young :D

Esther has started feeding herself for about 2 months now. She is doing very well. We started with yoghurt because it was hard to miss it. :P

Jonathan playing with his Tonka truck at our backyard. He loves outdoor would stay outside all day if he could.

An Ordinary Mum's Day :D

2010-04-29T09:04:00.001+10:00

This is so funny and yet so true. Have seen this long time ago but felt I needed it this morning. Every day is hectic around the house here and sometimes we just need to be reminded we're not alone in this. And to be a MUM is really not an easy task. I can so hear myself with the constant nagging even though my children are only 3.5 and 1 year old. LOL. However I think other than 'nagging' at our children constant praying for them is also needed for all Christian mum. God has them safely in His hands. Anyway, all the mums out there please remember you are not alone! God knows every things/sacrifices we do for our children/family. :D

Crying babies

2010-04-24T21:02:00.000+10:00

Having have two kids I know how frustrating it is to have a crying baby. It is especially hard when you do not know the reason of the cry. Well for very small baby (1-6months old) the reason would be either hunger, dirty nappy, cold/hot, tired, or sickness. When the baby is older like 6-12 months old they could be crying for attention so usually a cuddle or a chat would fix the issue. For me, I tend to be proactive and I would make sure I have done everything and follow a routine. I would feed the baby and change nappy every 3 hours. I follow a Feed/Play/Sleep routine. In doing so, I know when my baby started crying what would I give her first. If she just had a feed, then she can't be hungry, so I might check her nappy. My daughter Esther cannot stand dirty nappy and 99% of the time when she started crying was due to that exact reason. If she was fed, have clean nappy, but still cry then I would make sure she is not sick. Checking her temperature, making sure she is not too hot/cold, is not in pain and other possible factors. When a baby is in pain, he/she cries differently than their normal cry. They usually are in distress and high pitch. Well it is true with mine anyway. :P

One of my favourite baby book was given to me by a friend called ' On Becoming Baby Wise' by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo. It discusses about routine, feeding, sleeping, discipline and other baby related topic. One thing I learnt is never feed my baby to sleep. I breastfed both of my kids until they're 12/13 months. Yet they both started sleeping through the night at 10/12 weeks old (they usually sleep from 7pm-6am/7am). All I do is to put them down in the cot when they're tired and left the room. Feeding baby milk is not the answer for having a sleeping baby. Not feeding my babies to sleep also allowed me to wean them easily because they are not dependent on that to fall asleep. Esther who is 14 months now does not require a feed before she goes down to sleep at night. I would feed her dinner and then bath her and put her to bed between 6:30pm - 7:00pm (yes, babies here go to bed really early). The idea is that they need to learn to fall asleep without any aid. If they wake up during the night I would let them cry for about 15 minutes before I would attend to them. Usually they would just go back to sleep by themselves without me doing anything. Of course there are some exceptions. They usually waking/crying at night when they are teething and sick. With teething and sickness we can just have to comfort them and make sure they are not in pain (I usually give them baby panadol/nurofen for the pain). I have to admit there were times when I just breastfed them so they would calm down and be comforted.

As I mentioned before I follow a Feed/Play/Sleep routine. It is one of the ways to help the baby differentiate day and night so they would sleep through at night. I would follow the feed/play/sleep at day time but skip the play part at night After the last meal at 7pm and follow by a nice warm bath I put the baby straight to the cot. Both of my children started sleeping through at about 10-12 weeks. Babies that have good sleep are usually happy babies. Also they all sleep in their own room and they never sleep with us at night. They need to learn to be independent and for the parents, they need to have their own time. It's so important for the couple to have alone time and focus on each other rather than the baby for once. Co-sleeping is also not safe for baby due to the risk of suffocation. Babies who sleep with their parents also have difficulty on sleeping by themselves when they are older. So for long-term benefit it is best to let them sleep in their own cot from the beginning.

Esther at bed time. She was so happy to be put down to sleep after a tiring day.

Well, I could really go on and on about how to teach baby to sleep and ways to eliminate factors that could cause a baby cries. The principle is we as parents are the adult here and we should be smart and study our babies so we can become expert in looking after our own babies. I used 'own babies' its because every baby is different and only their parents know them the best. I'm not a fan of child-centre parenting. I am more leaning towards parents-led parenting with a bit of flexibility. It is also the Bible's principle that children obey their parents. Honestly having going through the babies stages twice and now having a nearly 4 year old and a 1 year old I could say babies are quite easy to deal with. They can't talk back, can't climb out of their cot, can't open the room door, and whinge about what clothes you put on them....the list goes on. :P All the best to every mother out there and enjoy your baby while they're still young because just like what everyone said 'they grow up too quickly'. :D

Leaving Soon

2010-04-19T11:29:00.001+10:00

Jonathan had his last swimming lesson on Sat. I told him he is going to a new swim school in Adelaide. And of course a new childcare, a new house, new bedroom, etc...He was sad and kept asking why we had to move. He had been writing up birthday invitations to his friends to come to his birthday party. I had to explain to him his friends will not be in Adelaide for his birthday in August because it's too far away. Instead, he will have a farewell party at childcare on his last day there. He was sad and asked why. :(

We only have 3 weeks to go before we leave beautiful Brisbane. I can't wait to start our new life in Adelaide mainly because hubby will be with us and no more separation (at least for awhile). Jonathan asked me where is Adelaide. Well, I just said it's in South Australia. :D I am feeling sad too to leave our dearest family and friends behind. We have been very spoilt having family around and good friends to spend time with. I'm going to miss them dearly I'm sure. The children will be missing out being spoilt by their grandparents and uncles and aunties which they currently enjoy. :(

However, these things happen and I know God is with us wherever we go. We will get to meet new brothers and sisters in God's big family. It's time to get out of my comfort zone and make new friends and discover new things. Most of all, to see our faith continue to grow in a brand new place!

March Photo Stories

2010-04-06T11:11:00.003+10:00

Visit to Queensland Museum during daddy's 1.5 weeks Home Trip

We had a great time catching up with hubby/daddy!

Me and my two beautiful children at Queensland Museum

The kids with the 'Koala' at Queensland Museum

Brisbane Wheel- it was so much fun looking over Beautiful Brisbane.

Brisbane Wheel - daddy with the tired boy

Mount Glorious Bush Walk --- We did not walk too far due to slippery road condition

Mount Glorious Bush Walk

Adelaide

2010-03-15T12:06:00.002+10:00

Yeah, we finally got our posting! It's Adelaide. feeling really excited now that we have a destination. It will be some times in May which means we still have about 7/8 weeks to go. However it's something I look forward to. God is Good all the time!

Time out!

2010-03-11T14:24:00.001+10:00

Esther woke up at about 5am this morning. However dear mother-in-law decided to get her out of her cot. I never let her out of her cot until 7 am cause that's my wake up time. Well, she had been waking up at around 7:00am anyway so there's no need to hurry. Normally, when she wakes up earlier than 7am, I would let her play in her cot or I'll feed her and she will go back to her cot and play. But since dear MIL thought she's too cute so she took her out of her cot. Anyway, getting up at 5am is not fun....

Even though I had been feeling very tired since getting up at 5am this morning, but I still decided to go to the library as it's our usual Thursday visit. When we came home I was exhausted and was doing my best getting the kids lunch then put Esther down for her nap. Let's say it was so hectic and I was not coping due to the lack of sleep. Just as I thought I would get a break when Esther goes for her nap, Jono said he soiled his pants!!! I couldn't believe what I heard, cause Jono had been toilet trained for at least 1 year now and this only happened once when he was sicked from the tummy bug. I totally lost it. :( Could not stand the thought of cleaning him up and washing up the dirty pants and underwear. I screamed at him asking why he did that, I even smacked him when he refused to answer me...:( Then guilt came in, I thought he could be sick cause that's the only explanation I could think of...)

So I thought, we need TIME OUT..... I left him upstairs watching Spot DVD while I took Esther to her room for a nap. 30 minutes later Esther was asleep and I had calmed down. Went upstairs and Jono quickly said sorry and we hugged and I said sorry too. Let's pray for a better afternoon. :D

Feb Photo Stories

2010-03-06T21:53:00.000+10:00

Making cupcakes

The finished product

Jono and his Lego house

My Valentine's Roses from hubby

Jono and Esther in the 'bin'

Our 1 year old Esther

The family

Esther's 1st Birthday

2010-03-02T11:42:00.003+10:00

Our baby girl Esther is finally ONE!

I made this simple birthday cake

The Birthday Girl!

1st taste of Chocolate :P

We held a very simple but fun party for Esther. We invited close friends and family for a BBQ lunch. The party went well and everyone had a wonderful time. The highlight was hubby was able to come home for this special occasion. We thank God everyday for giving us this beautiful girl one year ago.

Nappy Bag

2010-02-25T13:13:00.000+10:00

Here's a picture of my nappy/baby bag. It's a Colorado shoulder bag. Which is not meant for nappy/baby bag but I chosen it because I just want a normal bag that can serve the same purpose. How many things can I fit in there? Answer: next picture

A list of things in my bag:

1) A spare body suit for Esther

2) A drink bottle for Jono (the pink top bottle)

3) A drink bottle for myself (the blue top clear bottle)

4) A drink bottle for Esther (the purple and green one)

5) A rattle (Esther)

6) A teething fish (Esther)

8) A plastic pelican (for Esther)

9) A feeding spoon (Esther)

10) A set of link-a-doo toy (Esther)

11) 2 spare nappies (Esther)

12) A muslin wrap (Esther)

13) A nappy changing mat (Esther)

14) Baby wipes (Esther n Jono)

15) Some mini books (Esther n Jono)

16) Some ballons (Esther n Jono)

17) Little people toy (Esther n Jono)

18) A snack container (Esther n Jono)

18) Two mini toy cars (Jono)

19) A wallet (Me)

20) A pen (Me)

21) A packet of tissues (Me)

I still have many other little things in my bag such as a head scarf, a note pad, car/house keys, hair brush, mobile phones etc...

Well I think you get the picture. :D Those things are essentials to make our journey outside the house pleasant and worries free.

Esther is turning one in less than a week!

2010-02-17T20:53:00.001+10:00

My baby Esther is turning ONE on the 24th this month. Where has the time gone???? She is walking, uttering a few words and loves giving cuddles. I am now really started to enjoy having 2 kids. Mainly because Jono and Esther can play together a bit more and Esther is far more independent than just being a baby. She can eat almost anything we eat and is happy just walking around the house all day (minus the getting into everything part :P). My mission this week is to prepare a small 1st birthday party on the 27th Feb. Dane will be home for it as well. Can't wait!

Love Letter

2010-02-05T21:10:00.003+10:00

A special Love Letter from a father to his son.

We got two very special letters yesterday. There are LOVE letters from hubby. He wrote one for Jono and one for me. These letters had me in tears because they're filled with LOVE. His touching words and creative drawings have made the separation just a little better.

January Photo Stories

2010-02-01T21:58:00.002+10:00

I can walk now!

I'm 11 months old and I love to chew everything.

I love eating cake

Mmmm, my favorite chocolate cake!

I love my mummy more than any cake!!!!

We made cake together when daddy came home for a surprise visit.

Happy Birthday daddy!

Getting ready to swim in our pool

This is how we spend our summer - in our pool!

Mummy's Brag :P

2010-01-30T22:29:00.000+10:00

I can't believe I forgot to announce that Esther is walking now at just 11 months. She started taking steps at about 10 months old. She is so proud of herself and all she does now is walking around the house and explore everything that she can reach. She is also saying 'daddy', 'mum', 'duck' and she can wave her hand when we say 'hi', nearly clapping, and will give me whatever is in her hand when I say 'ta'. I'm so proud of her.

In Love with EGG

2010-01-30T22:07:00.000+10:00

My son has recently become an EGG addict. He asks for eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One time he had 4 eggs in a day. I'm just happy that he is eating. LOL. Egg is such an amazing food. You can boil it, poach it, steam it, fry it, use it in many dishes and in baking. I don't think we can live without eggs. I love eggs too but my hubby does not. I often wonder how can anyone not liking it??? I am so happy that my son loves it cause it's a very easy meal choice when you are lazy to cook up a storm. Not sure how long Jono's egg addiction will last but for the time being eggs are in high demand in this household. LOL.

Best Job

2010-01-28T12:46:00.000+10:00

I think parenting is one of the toughest job in the world. It's a very stressful and demanding job, you are 24/7 on call, no paid, no holidays, no annual leave, no promotion, no sick leave, and you are fully responsible of your children. BUT it's also the most rewarding job you can have. You get to raise your own kids, see them grow, and you get to be the proud MUM and DAD.

After having my own kids, I started to have greater respect for other parents. It's a tough job to be mum or dad. Kids don't stay cute and innocent forever, they do cry, kick tantrums, scream, rebel, like to say NO, do not like their food, do not want to go to bed....the list goes on and on. Each development stage is a new challenge and you never really finish your job.

I reckon everyone should have kids just so we can learn to be humble, to be patience, to love, to be loved, to learn from others, to see how God's amazing creation can bring us joy and happiness even when they are 'naughty'. You see because kids need nurture and guidance, so we as parents need to know how to care for them. You will have this desire to know about everything, you want to know what's best for your child and handy tips of bringing up kids. Having kids force me to learn more about life and myself. May God bless every parents and give them strength, wisdom, and patience to love their children!

Talking about God with Jono

2010-01-17T23:09:00.003+10:00

We read Bible to Jono every night before he goes to bed. Recently I started reading a question and answered book about God to him as well. Last night was the first night and it emphasised that God made everything like the sea, animals, plants, people and insects. Cheeky Jono immediately said "Well, I killed the insects that God made mum, I killed the ants."

Tonight, we read that God is invisible, we can't see Him. However, He is everywhere and He knows everything. Very seriously Jono said, "Well, He's not in the wall, mummy." LOL I think he is trying to make sense that how come God is everywhere.

I think as Christian parents we have the responsibility to teach our kids about God and His salvation. The more you talk about it with them the more they will understand. We are planting the seed and God will make it grow. There is great joy seeing your children get saved and follow God.

Another thing we talked about is salvation. We have mentioned about it many times but tonight Jono made it personal for him. I said we are all sinners meaning we all do wrong things. And he said, "me too?" and I said "yes, we all have sinned and only Lord Jesus can save us." I invite him to accept the Lord Jesus as his saviour and he said yes. Even though he's only 3, it's not too young to talk about the needs to be saved. God's words are powerful and He can work in my little boy's heart. So never ever underestimated how much a child can know about God. Of course only time can tell whether Jono truly believes what he heard about God and his decision about accepting Jesus Christ as his saviour. As parents, our prayer is that he will be a man of God when he grows up!

Cover Up!

2010-01-13T21:30:00.000+10:00

"Mum, I'm not touching it I just want to have a look at it." This is what Jono said to me when I caught him touching the air freshener. To be honest, I'm not shocked to hear that my 3 year old lied trying to cover up his own wrong doings. He simply did not admit that he did wrong but trying to justify it. Isn't this was what the first man Adam did? Since Adam and Eve, sin has entered into the world. The Bible says "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

Let us stop covering up our wrong doings and accept God and His provision for us. We cannot enter into heaven because of our sins. But God gave us His Son - Lord Jesus Christ to be our Saviour. He has paid the penalty for sins when He died for us on the cross. What will you do with Christ? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

Life without Dane again...

2010-01-11T22:48:00.002+10:00

Early yesterday morning we farewelled Dane at the airport and began our life without him for the next 10-12 weeks. It was hard to say goodbye after 4 weeks of wonderful family time. We were worried that Jono would be upset like last time but he did not cry or appeared to be upset. We told him a few days before that daddy had to leave for his job training but we emphasised that he is coming back. Jono was able to say goodbye with no dramas. I guess he knew daddy will come back just like last time. However, sometimes during the day he was still looking for daddy and wanted him to read him books and pray with him. Fortunately, with the technology today we're able to make video calls on both our mobile phones and skype. This has certainly help to let Jono 'see' his daddy. Hopefully this 10-12 weeks will pass very quickly and we will be a family again!

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-08T11:19:00.000+10:00

Time really flies, another year had gone and now we are in the year 2010. I have enjoyed time with my family especially having my hubby by my side. We had great time during Christmas and New Year with family and friends. The kids absolutely loved their christmas presents. We only bought small items like books and matchbox car for Jono. He was just as happy and really appreciated them. However, his granparents and uncle and aunties bought him big toys otherwise. They bought him Wii, a golf set, DVD, 'Whack a Mole', and books. To be honest, we found that toys are so overrated in our society. Kids don't need the biggest, the lastest or the most expensive toys to make them happy. What they really want is our time and attention. Jono would be most happy when we read to him and play with him.

Esther's 1st Christmas was rewarded with books, toys, clothes and shoes. She was very excited to rip open those presents. She was more interested in the wrappers than the actual items themselves. I think she really could not careless what she gets for Christmas. I mean what would a 10 months old baby want? I felt that we are buying her presents just to make us happy, not her. Just like many other young kids, she is happy to just play with a piece of paper or a plastic cup. Kids are just so simple and innocent.

Our new year was spent in a Christian Camp. We really enjoyed our time there and have made some new friends. Jono was so spoilt with lot of kids to play with and Esther was giving smiles to everyone. I would say it's most excited when you meet like-minded people and gather around the Word of God. Apart from that, I also enjoyed not having to cook or worry about the house for a week.

God has been very gracious to us in 2009. He guided us through some huge changes and in all life circumstances. In this new year we will trust Him in everything we do and live our lives as we ought to.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T17:39:00.001+10:00

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

It's Esther 1st Christmas and she does not have a clue what all the fuss is about. In the past weeks, we have bought presents, put up the Christmas tree, send out Christmas card and bought Christmas food. The shopping centre is packed full of people everyday. Everyone is busy preparing for this festive season. However, Christmas celebration will become meaningless if it was not about the LORD JESUS CHRIST. He is the reason for the season. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11. God had given us the best gift - His Son to be our Saviour.

It is also about GIVE and RECEIVE. You see God gave us His Son Jesus. So that He could die for us on the cross to save us form our sins. What we have to do is to simply receive it with faith. We usually buy Christmas gifts to our family and friends and we love to see them gladly receive it. Can you see God's Love for you? Have you received His gift of salvation?

We will be celebrating Christmas with our family. We thank God for giving us a wonderful year of 2009. He provide and guide us in everything we do. We can say in confidence that we are lack of nothing because God is our everything. Let us come and adore Him Christ the LORD!

The day had finally arrived...

2009-12-16T14:34:00.001+10:00

Yes one of the most exciting trip had arrived. On 9th Dec we (us and Dane's parents) flew from Brisbane to Sydney then transferred to Wagga. The trip was exciting because we were going to see Dane - my hubby, my children's father and my in-laws' son. It was an enjoyable flight except Esther was screaming during our flight from Brisbane to Sydney.

We arrived safely at Wagga Airport and checked in to our accommodation at about 2:00pm. At about 5pm we went and picked up Dane from his training base. I was waiting anxiously at the gate and was very nervous to see Dane again. We were surrounded by many other families and friends who were also waiting for their loved ones. Suddenly there was this man waving at me and I honestly could not recognise him at all. Yes,it's my handsome husband. He looked like he's 18 again. Well I supposed that was the result of him losing 9 kilos during his training.

Our 2 beautiful children

Getting ready to attend daddy's graduation

Immediately after picking up Dane, we went to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. It was so strange to have him by my side and be able to hold him again. Jono was also excited to see daddy. He could not stop talking to him and telling him about everything. During our car trip I was sitting between Jono and Dane. Jono actually asked me to move so he could see Dane. Well his exact words was: "Mummy, can you move your body? I want to see daddy." LOL

My man in uniform.

The Drill

The next day we attended Dane's graduation and it was a truly emotional 50 minutes ceremony. We were all so proud of him to complete this tough training. To me, that was the day I had been waiting for. The day when I got to see him again and to witness him realising his dream. We were all so proud of his achievement. Just to prove that it's never too late or too old to pursue our dreams.

Next morning we left Wagga to Sydney. We spent the night and the next day in Sydney before we flew back to Brisbane. We enjoyed family time with Dane's family. We visited Sydney Opera House, Syndey Harbour Bridge and cruised on the ferries. It was so nice to have Dane back and do things together as a family.

Our fun Sydney Trip

Now, we are going to spend 4 weeks together before Dane leaves again on the 11th Jan. It will be another 10 weeks separation but we will try to make visits in between. I thanked God for His love and comforts, for his protection and provision that we helped us got through this 9.5 weeks of separation. God is good all the time!

SMILEY ESTHER!

2009-12-07T15:46:00.000+10:00

Esther is such a happy girl that most people think she does not cry (well how I wish it's true). She would smile at anyone anytime. I love taking her photos as she is always smiling. Her smile is so sweet and innocent. How blessed I'm to be Esther's mum. When I feel sad or stressed I would just look at Esther and she would give me a nice big smile. It always make me feel so much better.
Philipians 4:4 says Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Thank you Lord for Smiley Esther!

SMILE!

Married 'Single' Mum

2009-11-25T23:14:00.004+10:00

Have you heard of the term 'Married Single Mum'? Do you know anyone who is or you are one as well. I found out that I'm one when I was searching other people's experience dealing with husband working away. And yes, I'm a MSM. My husband has been away for 8 weeks now and we are missing him dearly. I have the responsibility of looking after our children. It is not easy as I have my limitation and I do need someone to share the job.

I think the hardest thing is I had relied heavily on Dane before this and I was lost without him. When he was still here I could call/sms him whenever I need him during the day and he is never too far away. When the days got tough I would just look at the clock and knew that Dane would be home at 5:30pm. He would be here and give me a break. He could lend me his shoulder and give me a hug. 8 weeks I haven't seen him and so do the kids. It took me a few weeks to get the routine right and settled down the kids and myself. No more waiting for Dane to come home so I can cook dinner or go out to do some shopping. There's no other person to bath/shower the kids, to change them, or put them to bed. I have to do it all by myself. Even though I'm staying with my in-laws but they are both working full-time and they are very busy. Ultimately I'm the parent so I do it all. Also I better get used to it too because once we're posted to Newcastle, Adelaide or Darwin I will have no family or friends (hopefully to make some new friends) around. However, God is my strength and He is with me. Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Even though Dane is not physically with us but he is still one of us. He is still the head of this house and we love him. I think I'm still learning to find the balance and not to make my children feel that they only need mummy. Wisdom I really need it so much. Know how to involve Dane to still be part of our lives is the thing I have to put effort in. I started to talk about daddy and what daddy would do if he was here. I tried to talk to Jono about the things that we do together with daddy. We wrote letters to daddy and we took photos so we can send it to him. No doubt there's time when Jono wanted to be with daddy and he was very sad that he couldn't go to training with daddy. However, he has been very stable and settled in the last few weeks. At the same time, I have become more independent and learnt to do many things by myself. Even though I know I could do it all but having Dane to share the load would be better. After all marriage is a two people's business. We also have built our family together and it's never complete without him. around. I really missed him last night when it was all quiet and I had no one to share my thoughts/feelings with. By that time we had not talk for 2 days. Thankfully we had about 10 minutes tonight on the phone. It 's so comforting to be able to hear his voice again.

I thank you Lord for giving me strength and comfort when things are tough. Thank you for your daily protection and provision. I can do nothing without you. When there's no one else around I know I have you. You have promised that You will never leave us nor forsake us. I prayed that my life reflects you and that my children will see how mummy's God is a living God. Help me to be an example to them and show them what being strong and courageous mean. Let them learn about how mummy and daddy trust in God and live their lives according to the Bible's Truth. Thank you for everything and I know I'm a happy and blessed 'Married Single Mum'.

Surprise!

2009-11-17T10:44:00.002+10:00

My 12 pink roses

On the afternoon of 9th Nov 2009, I got a nice surprise delivered at my door. 12 gorgeous pink roses from my hubby Dane. It really made my day and possibly weeks ahead.. It was so great to 'see' my hubby's love as he was going into bush for that week and we were not able to talk on the phone for whole 6 days.

He was never ever a romantic man, and I am not that type of girl that looks for that either. However, when I got the flowers I was absolutely stoked! Thanks HUBBY, I love you!

We will be able to meet again in less than a month!!!! How can I make it go faster?

WHY WHY WHY???

2009-11-02T14:31:00.002+10:00

My parenting days are getting more and more intellectually challenging. My cheeky boy Jono continues to ask WHY about anything and everything.

For example:

Me: Jono, come and have dinner.

J: Why? Why we have dinner for?

M: Because we get hungry and we need food to give us energy?

J: Why we get hungry for? Why we need energy?

M: We need energy to play and do work. (started to get impatience)

J: Why we play and work? Why mummy? Why?

M: That's what we do.

J: Why????? Why mummy?

M: Ok, eat your dinner. (Stop to explain any more because he is never satisfied with the answers) :P

J: WHy????????

Above is only a tiny glimpse of my "WHY days". I suppose he is going through a stage of learning about others and learning about himself. He is curious and he wanted to know why. He is forcing to me find out more about our world and myself so I can explain them to him. I remember one of my high school English teacher Encik Rahman who often told us we need to be smart so we can answer our children's questions or they would think we are stupid. I guess no parents want their children to think that their parents are dumb. :( However, it is imposibble to know about everything or to have answer for them. The key is to willing to learn and find out as much as we can. Make it a learning process for both parents and the children. I'm proud to know the difference between a seal and a sea lion is that sea lion has ears and seal does not! Amazing right? hahaha

There's nothing that can help you understand your beliefs more than trying to explain them to an inquisitive child. ~ Frank A. Clark ~

I found this quote today and I totally agreed with it. Never before I felt that whatever I do I have to be able to explain to my 3 year old just because he wanted to know about everything. My personal beliefs and convictions have never been so carefully thought about so that I can simply and precisely explain them to my son. I reckon this is a great way to find out how much you really know about yourself and things you do and believe in. Parents are like an open book studied by their children who watch them intensely and closely as they learn about life. They in return will be a reflection of us as they learn from us everyday. So be careful what you instill in your children, you reap what you sow!

Mean Mummy

2009-10-31T22:20:00.003+10:00

Sometimes parents can be really mean. As a mummy I have done some mean things. Here are some of the them:

1) I asked Jono to collect leaves in the backyard to keep him busy for ages. My real reason was I'm lazy to clean up those leaves myself. :P

2) Take the batteries out of his toys and tell him that they're not working anymore. Just so that I can put them away because they annoyed me so much.

3) Secretly eating Jono's biscuits (Dane does the same) and tell him that he was the one who finished them. :P

4) I gave Jono some water instead of the real thing when he ask for 'medicine' because he's sick. LOL

5) I cut up the lollies into tiny pieces so when he asks for lolly I would give him one with no hesitation (one really tiny piece).

6) Telling him 'mummy's busy working' when I was just doing some surfing on the laptop. Very very naughty mummy!

There are many others things but I can't list them all. The idea is parents can be mean sometimes! Hahaha, watch out kids!

Mean Parents

My beautiful girl Esther

2009-10-31T11:15:00.001+10:00

Esther is 8 months old. She is growing up too fast and I can't keep up with it. She has been crawling since 6.5 months and loves pulling herself up since 7 months. She is a chatterbox too. She likes making joyful noise and can say dadadada, duck and tada. Notice the similarity? Yes the D sound, babies can make this sound very easily. Another sound they can make easily is bababa sounds. It's just amazing to see how babies develop and grow, day by day they learn different things and become a little person of their own .

Jono sometimes can get really rough with Esther and he even said to me that he doesn't like Esther. :-( He seems to think Esther is taking over his territory and he is not happy with that. Aaahh the joy of sibling jealousy. Pray that Jono will come around soon enough to know that Esther is not going anywhere and she is part of us. :P

Thank you God for my two beautiful children who continue to amaze me and bring me lots of joyful and tearful moments. They are part of Dane and I. Even though I cannot see or touch dear hubby Dane for few more weeks but I'm able to hold mini Dane and mini Josephine. I can see us in them. :D

Funny things Jono said recently

2009-10-25T20:52:00.005+10:00

1) "I'm a man, I can drink COKE!" He said this to his grandparents when they took him to McDonald's.

2) When I told him we're going to Wagga Wagga and Sydney to see daddy. He said "No, daddy is not in Wagga Wagga, daddy is in training." :D

3) Every time when I drop him off at his kindy, he would say "Mummy, I want to go home". And when I go pick him up, he would say "Mummy, I don't want to go home". Just as well I don't listen to him or ask him to make decision because he does not have a clue what he really wants. :P

4) He also got this really strong view that pink is only for girls. I never said that to him but I think he made his mind up after seeing most girls like pink stuffs. So he asked me, "Mummy, are pigs girl? Why are they pink?"

Some higher level thinking questions:

1) He asked me the other day "Who made God?" I replied, God is always there, no one made him.

2) While we were watching NEMO, he asked me in the beginning of the movie when Marlin and his wife were naming their babies, "Why Nemo's mummy died?" I was not prepared for it and was really shocked. Sadly I said to him people do die and we can't stop it. We were both very sad to think that Nemo could not be with his mummy. I think he started to understand death means separation.

Jono's favourite character in 'Finding Nemo' is Dory

For God so loved the world...

2009-10-23T14:49:00.001+10:00

I watched this video today, and I just have to share it.

Below is an article I found on the internet that tells us more about the story:

I want to share with you a true story about a man named John Griffith. In the 1930’s he worked as the controller of a huge railroad bridge across the Mississippi River. Every day at certain scheduled times the huge bridge was raised so that barges and other ships might make their way down the river. And according to a schedule, John would lower the bridge so that the freight and passenger trains could rush across.

In the summer of 1937, John Griffith took his then eight-year-old son with him to work for the first time. The boy was excited to watch the big railroad bridge and the trains & boats, and also to see the control house with all kinds of levers over which his daddy had absolute control.

His father took him to an observation deck so that he could watch the boats and trains go by. At noon John put the bridge up to let some ships go by since there would not be a train coming for awhile. He made his way to the observation deck where the two of them had lunch.

Just as John was telling a long story about the trains & boats, he was startled by the shrieking of a train whistle in the distance. He quickly looked at his watch and noticed that it was 1:07.

In the midst of his story telling he had forgotten that the passenger train - the express for Memphis with 400 passengers on board - would soon be roaring across that bridge.

Without panic but very quickly he leaped from the observation deck and ran back to the control tower. He placed his hand upon the massive iron controls and started to close the bridge. But before pulling the lever, he glanced down beneath the bridge to see if there were any ships beneath it.

There a sight caught his eye that made nearly made his heart stop.

His son had slipped from the observation deck and had fallen into the huge gears that operate the bridge. Though the boy was still alive and conscious, his left leg was caught in the cogs of the main gears! John knew that if he pulled that lever his son would be crushed.

His eyes filled with tears of panic, and his head was spinning. What he could do was to take a rope, rush to the observation tower, tie it and lower himself into the gear box, free his son, bring him back up to the observation deck, and make his way quickly back to the control tower to lower the bridge.

But no sooner had he thought it, than he knew there was no way he could do it in time for the train.

Again, closer than ever, the train whistle sounded. He could hear the wheels clicking over the tracks and the puffing of the engine.

But that was his son!

Yet there were 400 passengers on that train which was roaring toward the bridge. But John Griffith was a father and that was his boy!

………He knew what he had to do…….. so he buried his head in his left arm and pulled the master lever.

That massive bridge lowered into place just as the Memphis Express roared across the Mississippi.

When he lifted his head with his face smeared with tears, he looked into the passing windows of the train.

There were businessmen casually reading their afternoon papers, uniformed conductors looking at their large vest-pocket watches, well-dressed ladies in the dining car sipping coffee, and children pushing long spoons into the dishes of ice cream.

No one looked at the control house and no one looked at the great gear box.

With wrenching agony, John Griffith cried out at the train---- "I sacrificed my son for you! Don't you care?" But nobody heard. They never even looked up from their newspapers, watches, coffee and ice cream.

The Son of God has been sacrificed so that we might have eternal life.

Will we look up from our newspapers, watches, coffee and ice cream?

Parents are children's best teacher

2009-10-20T10:05:00.001+10:00

Jono is growing up so fast. He enjoys learning about everything and loves reading information/fact books. He asks lots of why and how questions. He's indeed a keen learner and I enjoy teaching him and sharing what I know with him. As a parent and a teacher, I personally think parents are their children's best teacher. You can send your child to the best school in town but you never spend anytime with them nor teach them anything, then you are wasting your money. Many children in top schools might achieve really well academically, but failed as a person. We can see some of them do drugs and some of them steal and what not. I have seen many parents thought the school is responsible to teach their kids since they send them there. Not so, we as teacher can only do so much in the class.

Every now and then when people praised Jono and how good he was, I felt a sense of pride because I was the one who taught him to have good manners, to share and to be nice to others. I make sure I spend the most time with him not his kindy teacher. Imagine one day when there's a conflict between what you teach your children and what their teacher shows them, and who would they listen to? Do you want them to listen to you or their teacher?

So, parents, spend as much time with your kids and show them the way of lives. We as Christians should be faithful parents to our children. Nannies, childcare, schools, even grandparents can only do so much for them, the responsibility rests on you - Mum and Dad!

HE KNOWS

2009-10-20T09:09:00.005+10:00

"Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-8

Yes, my Lord cares for me and He is always there for me. I know I'm never alone! HE KNOWS everything about me and my condition.

I'm counting my blessings and learn to be thankful and joyful!

Missing Dane

2009-10-19T13:45:00.004+10:00

I'm feeling under the weather. I'm sick with the flu and is really missing Dane. It's two weeks now since he left for his trianing. He is doing great and very much enjoying the whole thing. I'm doing ok but no doubt I would have days like this when I feel run down and really wish he was here with me.

However, I thanked God for my two beautiful children who keep me busy and focused. Jono is still very chatty and he is learning to cope without daddy. He has started to learn to play with Esther and share his toys with her. :D Esther is very mobile now that she can crawl. She also loves to stand up holding on to tables or anything she can hold on to. She can say 'dadada' as to daddy and duck. How clever!

Everyday I just hang around for Dane's 6pm phone call and that would definitely make me feel better and ready for the next day. Less than 2 months to go now! Can't wait!

The Negative three

2009-10-13T14:16:00.007+10:00

Jonathan is a delightful 3 year old boy who loves to talk all day. He is friendly and often mixes well with other kids. I mean I could not ask for a more cheerful son than him. However, he has entered into the phase I called: "The Negative Three" (in light of the 'Terrible Two'). He used to love his food, his bath, go to bed peacefully but lately he refused to have bath/shower, becoming difficult at meal times and his favourite excuse now is "I don't want to do anything". My patience has once again been tested on a daily basis. The battle of getting him dress, getting ready to go out, or whatever it is, the response is usually NO. It's ok if I have the time of the world to be with him but I still have a 7 minths old daughter who equally needs me to spend time with her. So, I try to be calm and firmly guided Jonathan to do what he needed to do everyday. It's hard and emotionally draining. Undoubtedly, there were times when I lost it and I just asked him to go to his room and let us both calm down. Hopefully when he turns 4 it would be a fabulous four. :D

On the same note, my little Esther who had been sleeping through for 12 hours straight at night since 10 weeks old started waking up at nights for the last week or so. She would screamed and appeared very distressed. I really hope it is teething because I NEED my SLEEP BACK.

Our recent trip to the zoo

The good news is Dane might be able to finish his training a week earlier. That means he could spend 4 weeks over Christmas time with us before he leaves again for his employment training. The things that get me going is the HOPE that we are going to meet again. WIthout hope there is no purpose for living. Yes, we all need hope and real hope can only be found in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope." Psalm 16:9

Getting used to not having Dane around

2009-10-10T22:01:00.004+10:00

Today is the 4th day without Dane. We actually had an excellent day. I took the kids to swimming lesson with my mum-in-law. Jono was unwilling to go to the swimming lesson and he refused to get into the water. He never did this before and we think it's because daddy was not around. However, once he got into the water he was fine and enjoyed his lesson.

After swimming lesson and breakfast, we sat down and watched NEMO for the 100th time (a bit of exaggerating here, but we do watch it so often that I lost count). He has always love watching NEMO, but he particularly wanted to watch it more this week and I think it's the daddy and son story that he likes. :D I know my poor boy is missing his daddy. He fell asleep on the couch and I managed to get a few things done while Esther was happily playing by herself.

After Jono had a nap, I took the kids to the shopping centre to kill some time. We bought a few things and spent about 2 hours there. It was a first time for me going out on a Saturday with 2 kids without Dane. Jono and Esther were extremely good the whole time. Oh I should also thanked my Phil and Teds double pram which allows me to push two kids and enjoy my shopping. I got it 2nd hand form Ebay because I could not manage to have Esther in the single pram and Jono walking when we go out anymore. As very often, Jono would want me to carry him and he is just too heavy for me. As a result, I'm happy with the decision to invest $250 in this 4yrs old double pram (which would cost about AUD$600-$900 brand new depends on the model). I have fallen in love with it already after just 2 days of having it. It also allows me to go out for my evening walk with the two kids by myself with no hassle.

A picture of the pram

Well as for me, I'm still missing Dane a lot. Missing everything about him even his bad habits. :P Everyday, I would hang around waiting for his phone call and listen to his voice. We are not allow to use video call because of privacy and security reason. He is not allow to take photos of the place as well. I guess being in the military it makes sense. However, I'm slowing getting used to not having him around physically. I thank God for family, friends and their supports.

History in the making

2009-10-06T20:37:00.005+10:00

Dane has finally been enlisted today (6/10/2009). It was very hard to say goodbye. We will be separated for 10 weeks. It is so far the longest separation we have to go through. In fact, we have never been separated since we're married 5 years ago. No doubt, there was tears of joy and sadness. Joy because Dane is one step closer to realise his dream. Sadness because I will be by myself and the two kids will have no daddy around for 10 weeks.

Special Enlistment Ceremony at Anzac Square

I pray for strengths each day that I'll be able to look after the kids and with stand the loneliness. I feel lost and as if part of me is missing. However, with God all things are possible. Praying for Dane too as he will be going through some tough military training.

Dane+Josephine+Jono+Esther

2009-09-29T22:09:00.001+10:00

I had been so busy during the last few days. I was so busy shopping with Dane. :P We bought so many things that it almost filled up our whole car. We were getting things that Dane would have to bring for his 10 weeks training. The defence force is so strict that almost everything has to be in perfect condition so we just bought everything brand new.

Jonathan seems to get the idea that daddy is going away soon and he just says he wanted to go to training with daddy. I am really concern about his reactions when he realises daddy is not going to be around for a while. He is a real daddy's boy.

Esther is 7 months old now and she is a real delight. Everyone who sees her loves her smile. One thing I discovered is she loves playing with plastic bags. She would grab onto the nappy sack eveytime I change her and she never got sicked of doing it. What a funny girl.

I had a hair cut today and also collected my new glasses. I feel afresh and ready to face the new challenge before us. God is with us and he knows all our needs! God is good all the time.

Recent updates

2009-09-23T20:20:00.002+10:00

Have been living with my in-laws since Friday. I'm just so tired from moving. Trying to fit a family into another family is hard. However, I'm glad that we have good relationships with each other and I practically have the house to myself during the day since everyone is working except me.

Esther is able to sit and push herself up to a sitting position, kinda crawling and babbling heaps. Jono loves his new childcare and have made some new friends. He also enjoys seeing his grandparents and favourite auntie everyday. He can chat with them all day long.

Dane is leaving in less than 2 weeks. Praying that those 10 weeks will be gone very quickly and I would not have time to be feel lonely :D If everything goes smoothly we should have a 3 weeks together during Christmas before another 10 weeks of separation. Trust that everything is in God's hands.

House

2009-09-17T21:47:00.001+10:00

Just had our last dinner at our cute lovely house. We are moving to Dane's parents'place this weekend. This house is the place where many of our memorable moments happened. It's not a big brand new house, in fact it's nearly 20 years old and is quiet small compare to today's brand new houses out there. However this house means a lot to me because of the people who live in it. :D People whom I love so much.

On the same note about house, I watched this short film from 15Malsysia called 'house' tonight. It's quite touching. That poor little boy who's dream house was the house his father built really catches my emotion. What does your house mean to you? What is your dream house like? Do you think the size, the decor, the layout, the landscape, or the design is important for your house? Or maybe you are willing to have a small and simple house that you and your loved ones are happy and contend. I would choose the latter. It's better to have a happy family in a small house than a big house with a broken family. Bye bye house!

How to say goodbye when you don't want to...

2009-09-16T14:38:00.002+10:00

According to my count down calendar, it only has 2 weeks and 6 days before Dane and I have to say goodbye. :'(. I thought I would be strong and nope I am not. I already miss him heaps. You never know how much you will miss someone until you have to say goodbye...

How could I go for a day not seeing him??? I don't know...

How can I go to sleep without him and wake up without him??? I don't know...

How would go shopping without him??? Look after the kids without him??? I don't know

How could I survive not talking to him face to face and his hugs and kisses??? I don't know

However, I know our God is with us and He is there for us wherever we are. He is our strengths and our comforter. Our Lord Jesus knows what loneliness is and He truly knows what it is like to be separated from loved ones.

I want to take one day at the time and cherish now.
Be strong and take courage!

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake; do not fear nor be dismayed.” you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

I love this song and it really comforts me a lot!

Be Strong And Take Courage
By Don Moen

Be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the Lord will go before you
And His light will show the way

Be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the one who lives within you
Will be strong in you today

Why don' you give him all of your fears
Why don't you let him wipe all of your tears
He knows, He's been through pain before
And He knows all that you've been looking for

So, be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the Lord will go before you
And His light will show the way

Be Strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the one who lives within you
Will be strong in you today

Nothing can take you out of his hand
Nothing can face you can't command
I know that you will always be
In His love, in His power you will be free!!

So, be strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the Lord will go before you
And His light will show the way

Be Strong and take courage
Do not fear or be dismayed
For the one who lives within you
Will be strong in you today

Baby

2009-09-12T17:46:00.002+10:00

"A baby makes: love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for."

I saw this quote and just had to share it here. It's so true of what it says. Baby - a wonderful gift of GOD.

2009-09-12T17:08:00.003+10:00

It's finally Saturday! As usual we took Jono to his weekly swimming lesson at 8am. He enjoyed it and did really well. After that we met up with Dane's bro and sis-in-law to have breakfast at Ikea. Of course since we're in Ikea, we also bought some things from there. I bought some more bibs for Esther and bought 2 plastic chairs for Jono. I absolutely love Ikea and almost everything they have for kids. They are so well designed and really funky looking too.

Straight after Ikea, we went to meet up with my church friends from Malaysia. We had lunch and tried to catch up with things and kids. We had not seen each other for maybe 9/10 years. Now we are all parents and busy with kids. I also felt 'old'.

Now, I'm having a girls night with my precious daughter Esther while Dane's taking Jono to see fireworks in the city. It's Brisbane River Festival and there will be a spectacular fireworks on the river. It would be very nice for me to go as well, but someone has to think about Esther since she's only a baby. Crowd, cold night and limited space will be hard for a little baby. So I stay home. :D Hopefully I get to enjoy some 'me' time after Esther has gone to bed for the night.

I must have Jesus in my life

2009-09-07T14:44:00.003+10:00

I must have Jesus in my whole life
I must have Jesus in my life
In my walking, in my talking, in my sleeping, in my waking
I must have Jesus in my life

Chinese Version:
我必须有主在我生命中，我必须有主在我心；
在我行走，在我谈话；在我休息，在我苏醒；
必须有主在我心

Truly acknowledge that I must have JESUS in my life. In everything that I do I need you Lord. I used to sing this song a lot in my M'sia church's Sunday School. It is so simple yet so true. Should teach Jono how to sing it. :D

Happy Daddy's Day

2009-09-06T22:44:00.002+10:00

Today is Father's Day in Australia. We were going to celebrate it with Dane's family at a Chinese restaurant for lunch but Esther was still not well so we decided to stay at home instead. Jono gave Dane a homemade card and we bought him a set of hair clipper/trimmer. This gift will come in handy once he started his Air Force job as he needs to maintain his 'army' hairstyle on a regular basis. Counting down to 6th Oct. We love you daddy/hubby!

Sick kids

2009-09-03T23:43:00.002+10:00

My heart just hurts when I see my two children being sick and miserable. Especially Esther, I can't bear to see her suffers for another day. She is coughing, throwing up, having a running nose and a fever. I miss her smile and cheerfulness. Meanwhile, Jono was not too bad but he constantly has a running nose. We had gone through like 2 boxes of tissue in just 4 days. He also has a sore throat and coughs a bit. He kept saying things like "mummy, my nose is annoying me, I need to see the doctor!" (he even hit his nose and was really upset) and "mummy, I can't talk" (cause he has a sore throat).

We haven't been able to get out of the house this week at all as I wanted the kids to have as much rest as possible. :'-( I can't wait to have my healthy and happy kids back and to be able to do all the fun things with them. Praying for a quick recovery!

Moving

2009-09-01T09:05:00.004+10:00

Finally, we have started to pack our stuffs into boxes and throwing away things that we don't need anymore. We are getting ready to move to Dane's parents house and preparing the house for rent. At the same time, Dane is getting ready to go for his training in less than 5 weeks. I won't be able to see him for 10 weeks and I am sure it will be hard.. Jono will be very sad too as he is a real daddy's boy. I was trying to explain to him that daddy is going away for training and we won't see him for a while. He replied 'why is daddy going to ride on the train and not taking me?" Hahaha, how cute.

I was so emotional when trying to pack away things and thinking about leaving our house behind. This house has so many memories and we (especially me) really love it. I cannot stand the thought that someone else is going to live in it soon and it is really sad. Not that we haven't moved before but this time is different, we are actually moving away from all things we love---our family, our house, our friends, our lives in Brisbane and many many things here.

To ease the transition, I try to see it as a new start for us wherever we are going to be posted. Looking forward to decorate the new house, exploring the new place, and meeting new people. We have been teaching Jono to memorise Bible verses, and of the them is "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. YES, we know our God is with us wherever we are going. THANK YOU LORD for your wonderful promises!

My big boy JONO

2009-08-27T21:29:00.011+10:00

Some updates on Jono:

1) He now has an imaginary friend called 'Chop Chop'. According to Jono's description, Chop Chop is very tiny and is a boy. It's so interesting to see him interacting with Chop Chop but I did tell him that Chop Chop is not real.

2) He enjoys playing with playdough, lego duplos, and little people. He can play with those toys for at least 1 hour by himself. He is particularly good at making things that really look like the actual things. Dane said he must take notice of the details of things he sees.

Jono's Lego Duplo Crocodile

Postman's Bed

3) Jono started to play better with Esther. He would be really gentle and look after her when she's around.

4) He has grown taller!!! Yes, his long pants/jeans now look like 3/4 pants. :D Guess it's time to get him new pants.

5) He also tries to have an adult conversation at the dinner table. His favourite line: "Daddy, how's your work today?" Sooo cute

6) At least once a day Jono would come to me and say 'Mummy I love you' and give me a hug. How sweet!

I want to go home!

2009-08-26T13:27:00.003+10:00

I'm missing my Malaysia home especially my family. I love this song by Michael Buble. Sometimes when I'm missing home I would listen to it over and over again on my ipod and shed a few tears...

Wondering if I would listen to it more often when Dane left for his training. When I feel alone... However I know I can find comfort in my LORD whom I trust! I KNOW our loving GOD is with me wherever I go and He is watching over my loved ones!

A Survey About My First Born

2009-08-25T09:14:00.008+10:00

40weeks 1 day pregnant, waiting to be induced on 12th August 2006

Here you go mummies - it's all about your first born!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Very Excited

3. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 25 when pregnant baby was born when I was 26.

4. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? From the doctor's test

5. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My hubby was with me and we told my mum and his parents

6. DID YOU FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes at 18 weeks morphology scan

7. DUE DATE? 11th August 2006

8. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes for the first 3 months

9. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? BBQ Pork Rice :P

10. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Raw meat and heat

11. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Male

12. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Hahaha I really wanted a girl.

13. HOW MANY KGS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 11kgs

14. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes but it was after the baby was born

15. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew about it

16. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No

17. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Mater Mothers' Private Hospital

18. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 10 hours

19. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My hubby Dane

20. WHO WAS PRESENT WHEN YOU GAVE BIRTH? Dane, Midwife Belinda and my Obstetrician Steve

21. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

22. DID YOU TAKE DRUG TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes, I had an epidural

23. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lb 11 oz (3470g)

24. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? 13th August 2006

25. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Jonathan

26. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3 years old

Esther is 6 months old today!

2009-08-24T09:52:00.005+10:00

Thank God our little girl is 6 months old today! Oh I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast.

Some of her progress so far:
-Started eating solid food this month and is doing well.

-Can sit for about 5 seconds without support.

-Recongises her name and people.

-Loves playing with her big brother Jono.

-Loves rolling around and has great hand-eye coordination.

Mummy Survival

2009-08-20T21:45:00.007+10:00

Being parents is a really tough job!!! I literally spend every minute of my awaking time being with my kids and being the 'Mummy'. The kids usually wake up at about 7am each morning and I tell you I would sleep for another minute if they let me. This marks the beginning of my day with the kids. Believe me, it's a really long day especially Jono now has dropped his afternoon nap and Esther only has 2 naps. ME, I have no nap....

I try to take the kids out every morning except Monday (which is our rest day) according to my weekly plan I devised a while ago. It really helps me to relax and make the time more manageable. However, we still have lots of time left in the day before they go to sleep for good at 7pm each night. I was thinking today that working is actually so much easier compare to what I do at home - a full-on 12 hour shift. I at least get morning tea, lunch, and non-contact time at work. At home, I get 'mummy, play with me'!, 'changing dirty nappy', 'mummy, I want this/that' time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being a mummy but just like everyone else, I do feel physically exhausted and emotionally drained at the end of the day. Honestly speaking I can't wait for 7pm when the kids go to bed then I can have my much needed rest time. After careful consideration, we decided to up Jono's childcare day from 1 day to 2 days a week. He used to go 2 days a week when I was working but we dropped it to 1 day as I wanted to spend more time with him while I'm staying at home full-time. Now, I really needed the extra day a week to recuperate and get some needed peace and quiet. Having 2 'Jono free days' allow me to have 1 day rest, and 1 day to catch up with housework and run errands. I tried not to feel guilty for needing that extra day because I'm convinced that my kids/hubby deserve a happier mum/wife.

Lord, please help me to be patience and give me strength each day to fulfill the many roles that I play. Philippians 4:13 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.'

Jono's 3rd Birthday

2009-08-14T13:54:00.009+10:00

Our little boy has just turned 3. He had a simple but wonderful birthday party with the family. He received lot of presents and he could not be happier. I still can't believe my little boy is 3 years old. He has grown into a handsome boy (a very biased opinion I know :-)).

We thanked God for giving us this wonderful boy 3 years ago. I vividly remember the excitement when we found out we're expecting, the amazing nine months long pregnancy, the beautiful birth and all the precious memories Jono has created and is still creating. At the same time, I have also been a mum for 3 years and really enjoying it. Undoubtedly, there's time when I asked 'what have I got myself into? (when Jono is really naughty and demanding). However, my love for him is deeper everyday and I cherish the time with him as he grows up so quickly.

My poem for Jono:

We longed for you
As in the tummy you grew
With joy and excitement
Your birth's a precious moment

We thank God for you
A wonderful gift we value
You are so special
Our precious little angel

We pray for you
And we love you too
Be a man of God
As life pathway you trod

Winnie the Pooh Birthday Cake

Short like Mummy

2009-08-06T14:32:00.004+10:00

I was really tired on Tuesday, so much so I couldn't bother to cook dinner (was thinking to have some Indians take away). However, I have a wonderful husband who decided to cook dinner and he made us some yummy chicken stir-fry.

While Dane was cooking in the kitchen, I had an interesting conversation with Jono:

Jono: Mummy, what's daddy doing?

Me: Cooking dinner. Do you think you can help daddy?

Jono: Noooo, I can't.

Me: Why?

Jono: I'm only little, I can't reach. I'm SHORT like you!

Me: Hahahahahaha, short like ME???????

Admittedly my son got it right. I know I'm short and will be the shortest in this family when Jono and Esther eventually grow up one day. BUT the most important thing is not your physical appearance it's what's in your heart! "For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

Long live short hair

2009-08-04T10:38:00.006+10:00

I cut my hair short a day before my wedding anniversary. I wanted to have a new hairstyle and to put an end to my drastic hair loss after the birth of Esther (it's normal to experience hair loss after giving birth). So I went and had my hair cut. I now feel younger and more vibrant with shorter hair. I love it so much I think I'll keep it short from now on. :-)

Esther - 5 months old

2009-08-02T22:49:00.003+10:00

Can't believe my little baby girl is already 5 months old. She is a very cheerful and sociable baby. She has started to play with her feet a lot and her hands would grab anything that comes to sight. She is nearly sitting up by herself and loves playing with her big brother Jonathan. We pray that Esther will continue to grow happily each day!

Just a quick vent

2009-07-22T12:38:00.005+10:00

It all started from the night before. We went to the in-laws place for dinner. The dinner was nice and we had a great with the family. However that also means the kids did not get to bed at home until roughly 9pm. They usually in bed by 7-7:30pm and will sleep for 12 hours straight. Albeit, they both went to bed last night with no problem and we all woke up at about 7am this morning. Indeed we got woken up by a very very cranky and whinging 3 year old. Jono just would not stop whinging.

Everything/anything seems to frustrate him. He would cry every 2 seconds (very exaggerating I know). Even though we kinda of expected that because he did not get a full 12 hours sleep, BUT it is still very hard to deal with when you still have a 5 month old baby to look after. I really lost it today--- I screamed at Jono and ask him to stop whinging about everything. Yes, one thing I said I would not do --- screaming at my child, I did it. I think many parents would understand how I feel, it is so upsetting when you truly love your child but you can't stop being harsh to them. I know it was not all his fault it was the result of his lack of sleep. I felt so guilty and would love to erase it from my memory if I can. However, we all know what's done is done. Jono is having his afternoon nap now and I'm trying to calm myself down. I asked God to help me to mend this well with Jono.

On a similar note, sleep deprivation is detrimental. That's why we feel cranky when we do not have enough sleep. With not enough sleep, we can face things like loss of concentration, less tolerant towards people/thing, depression, lack of energy and many other harmful consequences. So having enough sleep is really important. Well, I think it's time for me to have a power nap now while both kids are having theirs. I pray for a better afternoon with two happy kids and a relax mum.

Wish I can sleep like Garfield!

Updates

2009-07-19T22:43:00.008+10:00

Where was I for the last 2 weeks or so??? I did not go away or being lazy, I am just so exhausted at the end of each day and can hardly ever find time to do anything indulgence like writing my blog. Jonathan is able to open his room door now and during nap/sleep time he will keep coming out of his room and trying his hardest to avoid going to bed. I have to be calm and take him back to his room every time and put him back to bed. This can go on for about 1 hour before he finally dozes off. AND when he finally in bed, Esther will be wanting a feed or waking up from her nap. Sooo I just don't have time anymore.

When both kids are in bed at roughly 7:30pm, I started to catch up with housework and other more important things like spending time with hubby. I also try to do a bit more of reading these day to help keep my mind active (as I need to get away from my baby brain to keep my mind fresh). I started reading "the five love languages" for the second time to see how much I have learnt and put into practice after the first reading. I also take longer time to read the Bible and to digest/think upon it. At the moment I'm reading Matthew and is at chapter 25--- about the Lord's coming. It's sooo encouraging to know that our Lord and Saviour is coming soon. A hope that we Christians have in the Lord Jesus Christ. The beautiful meaning in Esther's Chinese name - 希 (hope) and my blog's name --- mumwithhope. Matthew 25:31-34 "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Esther is nearly 5 months old. I could not believe how time really flies. She has grown into an active and happy baby. She loves to watch Jono singing and talking to her. I think the two will be great company for each other. I can't wait to see them doing things together soon. It will be so great!

Dane and I are making a life changing decision as a result of Dane's possible career change. It's a bit immature to put them in details at the moment but we as a family will have to go through a huge change if he gets the job. Praying praying praying! Ok, it's time to go to bed now!

Having young children made me realise that...

2009-07-07T15:03:00.003+10:00

1) I love my sleep.
Thank God both my children sleep through at night early - Jono at 6 weeks old and Esther at 10 weeks old.

2) Getting ready to go out of the house can take a lot of effort.
Try getting yourself and two kids ready to go out is not easy. Many times Esther would spit up and need her clothes change or Jono would refuse to put on his shoes.

3) I enjoy breastfeeding, it's like milk on tap.
Or maybe I am just too lazy to clean a bottle and make up the formula milk. It also saves a lot of money and is best for babies. But for those who can't breastfeed, don't feel guilty as you do what is best for you and your children.

4) I love my oven, rice cooker and slow cooker.
I cook most of my food in the oven and steam my vegetables in the rice cooker while its cooking the rice because it allows me to attend to my children while dinner is cooking.

5) Having family close by is very important.
Or in another word having family for babysitting is very important. My in-laws are great and so are Dane's siblings who love to babysit the kids. My mum would love to babysit but she lives in Malaysia.

6) I love seeing doctor.
More specifically my obstetrician because I got to see my babies while they were still inside me and to hear that they were developing well. I got really excited to go to my antenatal visits every time even though we could wait up to 1 hour or more to be seen.

7) Children are really a reflection of their parents.
I can see so much of myself in Jonathan, and it's good and bad at the same time.

8) My husband Dane can do everything with the kids except breastfeeding.
He plays and sings with them and they just adore him. I can't imagine raising the children without him.

9) You can fit a truck load of stuff into a nappy bag.
For Example: nappies, changing clothes, nappy wipes, washers, toys, food, change mat, plus my wallet, mobile phone, brush, keys, pen, drink bottle and the list goes on.

10) Holidays is not always relaxing as it should be.
We once had to cut our holiday short because Jono was not settled at all. We often have to fit things around the feeding time and nap time.

Yes, inevitably there are good and bad about having children. However, I highly recommend them as they are just so precious and wonderful gift of God. No regrets here!!

Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary

2009-07-07T12:50:00.001+10:00

Yes, praise God for our 5th wedding anniversary! 3rd July 2004 was our wedding day and it definitely is one of the most significant days in our lives. We made our vows to each other in front of God and our family and friends. I am really grateful and excited that we have made it to 5 years.

Looking back we are indeed very blessed in this 5 years of marriage. We went through a lots of ups and downs including the birth of our two children and lost our first baby to ectopic pregnancy. We supported each other in every aspect of our lives. I know there's no one I wanted to be other than DANE. We seen the worst and the best of each other and our love has not changed instead it's going deeper everyday. I couldn't agree more that LOVE is a choice. We choose to love each other even though we are not always doing the right thing. Just like the verse in Romans 5:8 : "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God chose to love us and HE put it in action even though us human rebelled against Him. In today's world, people emphasise love is a feeling and just follow your heart. It's wrong! If love is a feeling then we will never stay faithful because feeling comes and go and cannot be trusted. Unconditional love and sacrificial love that Christ has shown is the love that we should have. I love my husband not because he's good looking, or he's really nice to me (even though he is) . I love him because I choose to and accept everything about him. I know Dane does the same.

Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary!

Undoubtedly, we like any other couples, argue, fight and get on to each others' nerves sometimes. Interestingly, I had a read of my bridal shower gift "word of wisdom" from all the sisters in the church, majority of them all quote Ephesians 4:26:"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." I supposed we all knew how easy it is for us to get angry at our partner and go to bed unforgiving. One advice I was told to never go to bed without praying for your husband. YES, any anger or disappointment will be gone when you pray for the person you love. I admit we sometimes just got to bed without praying together and for each other. We should do it as often and as regular as possible.

We celebrated this special day with a night out in our beautiful Brisbane city. We dropped two kids off at the grandparents then off to the city we went. We really enjoyed the time with no kids and the dinner was great. Note we didn't give each other gifts and I did not get a flower because for us the most valuable thing we can give each other is ourselves. In short, we had a great night together. The next morning we had a little sleep in as Jono was at the grandparents for a sleepover. So we only had Esther with us and we had a great time playing with Esther before picking up Jono for his swimming lesson.

I felt so refreshed after our 5th anniversary celebration. It's a time to reflect and reevaluate our marriage. We are happy to say that we are still happily married and are looking forward to many years ahead with God's grace and guidance.

A Weekend Away

2009-06-28T21:37:00.002+10:00

We went away for the weekend to visit Brent and Pip (Dane's brother and his wife) at Ballina. We enjoyed the drive both to and back. Both kids were doing well during the 2 hours drive except we had to stop a few times for Jono's toilet trip. He did so well and told us every time he wanted to do a wee.

Firstly, we met up with Brent and Pip at Byron Bay. We had breakfast there and then we went to visit The Macadamia Castle on the way to their house. We did not pay to get into the actual park cause I felt it was a bit expensive. We only shopped at the souvenir shop and bought some macadamia nuts.

The Macadamia Castle

Jono saying goodbye to King Macca

Byron Bay was nice but cause its winter so we didn't go into the water. We had to stop Jono for getting into the water as he was taking his pants off and wanted to jump in the surf. He loves water since birth. At night after dinner, we had played 2 board games 'Cluedo' and 'Ticket to Ride' while both kids had gone to bed.

At night after we had dinner and both kids were in bed we played 2 board games 'Cluedo' and 'Ticket to Ride'. We all love board games and Brent and Pip are known to have a huge collection of them. Brent was the winner for 'Cluedo' and Pip scored the highest in 'Ticket to Ride'. We had a good time laughing and talking.

The next morning we went to Ballina Gospel Hall for the remembering of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The ministry was about to be a man of God like Elijah. We met some new people and had a fellowship lunch there. After some rest , we headed to North Wall for a walk. We enjoyed the walk and we saw some dolphins there. It was amazing to see God's wonderful creation. We then headed home.

Now, we are home and have to get ready for another week. I took the advice from my wonderful mother-in-law about rubbing some Vicks on Esther's feet when putting her to sleep to help ease her cold. I guess I would try anything to help her feel better soon. We are all pretty tired and it's time to go to bed. Thank you Lord for another wonderful family trip!

My Day

2009-06-15T22:18:00.000+10:00

Had a busy day today. Firstly, I had to take Esther to the doctor this morning to get her rash checked. Thank God, Dr Mclaren was not too concerned and did not think it is allergic reaction. However, having two kids at the waiting room was painful. Jonathan did not want to sit still while Esther was not too happy in her pram. There was some crying and disciplines but in the end it was a happy ending. Jono got a jelly bean from the doctor for being a good boy and we made it home without any dramas.

Once we got home, I made lunch while Esther was asleep. Managed to feed both kids and put them down for their afternoon naps at about 1pm. Then the fun began, first it was vacuuming, then mopping, and followed by hanging out washing. Had a bit of time before they woke up so I went on the internet after reading some catalogues.

Could not remember when but I suddenly noticed there was a message left on our home phone. It was from a high school looking for a learning support teacher for next term. Even though I know I would not take it up but at least it made me feel that I'm still wanted. This is the third job offer since the beginning of this year. I have no regrets to stop working and stay at home looking after my children this entire year, but I still think about my job sometimes. It is really tempting to say yes when people knocked on your door and wanted to give you the job. But NOT YET, cause I'm staying at home for now.

OK, time to go to bed. I need to have as much sleep as possible as I'm not feeling too well these few days. Need to stay strong and healthy to look after my beautiful family.

2009-06-07T22:15:00.001+10:00

It's more than a week since my last blog. I had been busy as usual just doing everyday stuffs, being with my children, cooking, cleaning and going out occasionally. Overall, I think I had a fairly good week. I did feel a bit down for a few days where I was easily anxious and got frustrated. I suspect it's my hormone playing up again. Yup blame the hormone, but I'm OK now. Philippians 4:6&7 says "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." We need to learn to trust God and let Him take control of our lives. I often fall into the trap where I wanted to be in control and then got disappointed when things didn't turn out as I planned. Pray that I will not make the same mistakes again.

Jono and Esther are growing up by the minute. They surprise me everyday. Jono has started counting accurately, able to explain things back to me and has a very good transferable knowledge. The problem is he is a bossy kid, he wants everyone to do it his way and he dares to tell you too. He often says "mum, do this, and don't do this...etc" and he also cracks me up big time when he tries to say some Chinese words every now and then. Last Saturday, we went to a private Christian school open day because we are planning to enrol Jono into their pre-prep program next year when he is 3.5 yrs old. Since the visit, Jono keeps saying he wants to go to school and I really can't wait to see him in a school uniform.

Meanwhile, Esther is growing into a cute little girl . She loves talking and makes lot of cooing sounds. Her smile is so heartwarming it often melts my heart. She has started to play with some soft toys and has increasing interest in everything around her. I sometimes have strangers telling to me how Esther was smiling at them and they thought how cute she is and the like when I take her go out to the shops. Admittedly she is really cute and I am enjoying the attention she attracts.

Other than my beloved children, my dear hubby has been very good too. He has lost some kilos and is still going strong. Dane is doing lots of regular exercise and wanting to keep fit. I am happy for him and is more than happy to have a healthy hubby. We have made some adjustments to life with two kids. We set aside at least 15-30 minutes each night to have a interruption free conversation time. We put our kids to bed and get a few things done around the house then we will lie in bed and just talk. There is one rule which is no talking about kids--- just about us and us alone. I am enjoying this as I know my days are full of kids stuffs and we need to have a break from it to focus on other important things. People says having kids can turn your life upside down and I could not agree more. There are so many things to think about when you have children and you just can't go out and do things as you please. It could take your attention away from your partner and you are easily to neglect the relationship. So it's very important to still maintain the relationship with your partner after having children. We are grateful for Dane's parents and sister who are able to babysit the children to give us a break and go out for dates. Having said that, we are absolutely enjoying our life with kids and could not imagine our lives without them. As to us they are not only a gift from God but an evidence of our love for each other! There is no way children are a burden to our marriage but they are one of the sources of our joy and happiness.

Our first photo as a couple 7 years ago

Wednesday 27.05.09

2009-05-27T20:59:00.001+10:00

It's Wednesday today, Jono, Esther and I went to the Playgroup at Village Avenue Community Church. It only took about 5 mins drive to get there. I was a bit nervous as it's our first visit there today. However, I was able to recognise a familiar face - Mrs Skinner. We met a few times at various places. Dane knew her family. Well, starting from there I gradually got to know most of the mothers there and we chatted away. On the other hand, Jono was a bit overwhelmed at first as there were at least 20 little kids around. If you know Jono you would be surprised to know that he was shy (he is normally a very outgoing child)! But it did not take long for him to warm up and after some encouragement he went and play with the toys with confidence.

Sarah who is in charge of the playgroup held a cancer foundation fundraising morning tea. As a result, We got to enjoy some nice cakes and muffins while the kids were playing. Esther was a very good girl as she slept most of the time. We were there from 9:30am to 11:20am. We had lunch at home and after that both kids went down for their naps. I managed to do some vaccuming and tidying up in the kitchen. I made chicken rissoles for dinner and now I'm writing my blog. This pretty much sums up my day. I really enjoying being with my kids and being able to look after them myself. It was hard at the beginning as I was bored at home and really not used being at home full time. However, after I followed through my weekly plan, I have started to enjoy my days more.

Dinner tonight--- chicken rissoles, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables

Being there for my kids really brings me lots of joy. I am able to teach them and guide them every step of the way as they grow up. What better person to look after them and to teach them way of life other than their mum? I carried them for 9 months, gave birth to them and it only makes sense for me their mother to raise them with my own hands. There's no need for babysitter or grandparents to raise my kids. Having said that, I did send Jono to childcare for 2 days a week and 1 day a week with Dane's parents when he was 1.5 yrs old while I was working. However, I make sure Dane and I are still the people who teach him and guide him. We want to be his parents and that's our job! Thank you Lord that I'm able to stay at home for this entire year to be with my kids.

Looking forward to our trip to the library tomorrow! By the way, Jono is doing great with his toilet training. He went to toilet himself twice today without any reminders. Woohoo, we are getting there!

I had a great day today!

2009-05-18T19:15:00.001+10:00

Hurray, it's 7:15pm and both kids are in bed. I'm having some quiet time to myself while Dane's taking a short nap. I had a great day today just being at home with my two beautiful kids. Jono had been SOOOO GOOD and he made me laugh all day. He was so delightful and chatted with me all day long.

My weekly plan is working well so far and I really enjoy doing different things each day. We watched a movie called "Fireproof" last night and it was very moving. The story is about a couple and how their broken marriage can only be fixed with GOD's LOVE and SALVATION. The husband followed a book given by his father called "The Love Dare" for 40 days to get his wife back. At first he found it wasn't working as everything he did was rejected by his wife. He wanted to give up at day 20. He talked to his father and his father finally pointed out that he could only love someone even after being rejected with GOD's LOVE. The Lord Jesus was rejected again and again but He never stop loving us. He gave his life for us and shown us what unconditional love really is. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) The husband eventually got saved and he started reading the Bible and continued the love dare challenge even though the wife was unmoved. At the end, the wife discovered how much her husband loved her and she also saw the changes in him and they eventually got back together. I love the story as it illustrated what real love is. GOD is LOVE!

Praying for tomorrow, may I use my time wisely and bring honour to God in everything that I do.

My weekly plan

2009-05-16T14:41:00.000+10:00

Since staying at home full time I'm finding that I need some sort of daily routine to keep me sane. Otherwise, I would feel trapped spending my days at home with kids. So I have devised a simple weekly plan:

Monday:
1) Spend the morning playing with Jono at the backyard.
2) Catch up with some housework.

Tuesday:
Jonathan goes to childcare, so I only have Esther.
It's the best time to go shopping, see a doctor if sick, take Esther for her immunisation and health check, go to the dentist, do grocery and go out for lunch.

Wednesday:
1) Take the kids to playgroup and meet with other mums and their children in the morning.
2) Go for a walk in the neighbourhood.

Thursday:
1) Take the kids to the library and do some simple shopping in the morning.
2) Visit friends

Friday:
1) Take the kids to the park or visit friends.
2) Occasional dinner date with hubby while Jono goes to the grandparents.

Saturday:
It’s our Family Day
1) Take Jono to his swimming lesson in the morning.
2) Family outing – parks, swimming, shopping, eating out, visiting friends etc.

Sunday:
It’s the Lord’s Day! We go to church.
Now, I’m looking forward to my weekly adventure!

29th Birthday and Mother's Day

2009-05-12T20:37:00.000+10:00

Hurray, I turned 29 on the 8th May!!! I'm feeling really excited about getting closer to 30, the next stage of my life. Having been married nearly 5 years, given birth to 2 kids, and have worked full time and part-time, I am now staying at home looking after my 2 beautiful children. I realised that I'm no longer young, and I now have a huge responsibility of raising the next generation. However, I do honestly miss my job. I miss the time when I'm Mrs Reynolds and get to work with some lovely teachers and students. My plan is to wait until Esther is at least one, then I'll look into teaching part-time again (maybe 2 days a week). Once the kids are older, I also consider to further my study and maybe have a career change (I'm interested in pharmacy at the moment, but it might change later down the track).

I also celebrated my 3rd Mother's day on the 10th May. This year, I had Dane, Jono and Esther to celebrate with. I'm not fussed about gifts for both my birthday and mother's day. I'm contended with spending these special time with my lovely family. My mum actually handmade me a mother's day card before she left. She was very creative and used things around my house to secretly create the card. I in reverse gave her an album of her and the grandchildren.

I do enjoy my time at home most of the time but I have to admit that I have had hard times too. Especially when the hormones are playing up and the kids are very demanding. What would my life be if I have not got married and have kids? I asked myself. However, when I seriously think about it, I really thank God for everything that I have today. All the way my Saviour leads me, what have I to ask beside? I would not want it any other way. No matter how hard and challenging my life is, I know that my Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ is my strength.

In conclusion, I have had wonderful time for both my birthday and mother's day. I'm now looking forward to celebrate Jono's 3rd birthday in August.

Busy days

2009-05-06T13:41:00.000+10:00

Jonathan helping me made blueberry muffins

Finally have some 'me' time to write my blog. I am having a very busy week. Jonathan is sick with cold and is staying at home with me the 2 days he was meant to go to childcare. So, I was soooo busy looking after 2 kids. Apart from that, I still need to do housework and keep up with my daily errands. I get frustrated sometimes but nevertheless I still enjoy being a stay at home mum. It is really a great responsibility and commitment being a mum. Raising children is not an easy task, I take my hat off to people who have successfully raised their children. I can only pray that I would have enough energy, wisdom and patience each day to look after my children and teach them to be godly young man and woman.

The Test

2009-04-24T12:57:00.001+10:00

Yesterday was somewhat a colourful day. Or should I say it was a very yellowish day for me. Let me explain it more, my dear son Jonathan did a "Poo Art" in his room. He put his hands in his pull-up and smeared the poo onto the wardrobe mirror door, the wall, the brand new carpet, his bed and any other things that he could reach. Needless to say, I had to spend nearly an hour cleaning up the mess and we still need to get a professional cleaner to come in and clean the room. I must admit I was really really angry when I was cleaning it, but now I think I have accepted it and can joke about it.

When I woke up in the morning, I prayed to God that I would do what is right and would have a great day with my family. Little did I know God had something special for me. I guess I could call it "The Poo Test". Guess what I now passed with flying colour (maybe more yellowish brown). I need to be thankful of what a healthy son I have and the joy and happiness that he has brought since his birth. I also learnt to forgive Jono as God has forgiven me. Lets' hope there will be no more "poo art" in the future.

Count your blessings

2009-04-20T14:18:00.000+10:00

Words: Johnson Oatman, Jr., in Songs for Young People, by Edwin Excell (Chicago, Illinois: 1897).

Music: Edwin O. Excell (MIDI, score)

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain

This hymn came into mind when I was reading a friend's blog today. She stated how down she felt and was asking for God's strength. I immediately thought about myself and what do I do when I am feeling down. Praise be to God I can count my blessings. Every single one of them from small to big. Just like the hymn says 'it will surprised you what the Lord has done'. There are no more burden, no more worries, no envy and doubt! Yes, let's count our blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Growing up together

2009-04-17T14:38:00.002+10:00

This morning I took Jono, Esther and my mum to visit one of our local parks. Jono likes to go to the park and play in the playground. While we were there I met another mum. She is from Hong Kong and has two beautiful children aged 5 and 4. The older one is a boy and the younger one is a girl. Immediately, I saw a picture of what Jono and Esther would be when they're older. Yes, they will play together. Wow, I couldn't wait really. Since I missed out in my childhood to grow up with my siblings, I really love to see that my children would have a different experience. My brothers are much older than me and they left home pretty early for study and work. I kind of grew up playing with my neighbour's kids. It would be a great joy to see my children grow up together and enjoy each other as a family.

Moving On

2009-04-16T22:06:00.002+10:00

We feel really blessed to have 2 healthy children. Esther is 7 weeks old this week and she is developing well. I also had my post-natal check up with my ob Dr Cattanach. I now feel like I'm ready to move on to get back into shape and enjoy life with Dane and our 2 children. I do miss being pregnant especially feeling the baby movement everyday but it's also great that I can wear normal clothes again and do normal thing. Life is good!

Happy Day

2009-04-05T21:27:00.001+10:00

For the first time this year I made it to the Sunday School. I really enjoyed being there again and also in the bible class. Esther was very good and she slept through the bible class with no hassle. I was a bit unsure whether I should go this morning but I'm glad I did. The morning meeting was good even though Jonathan was a bit grumpy. Dane and I had to discipline him by smacking. All in all it was a wonderful Lord's Day!

Tummy Bug

2009-04-02T15:55:00.001+10:00

Feeling ill today. I think I got "tummy bug". Not sure where I got it from but I'm worry that Esther will get it. She's too young to be sick. No parents like to see their children sick. I remembered when Jonathan was about 15 months old, he had a temperature of 38.5 degree celcius and was very lethargic so we took him to the emergency department. We were worried and didn't want to risk anything.

Once we got there, the triage nurse did some assessment on Jonathan and we're asked to wait to be seen by a doctor. While waiting, I saw many parents brought their children to ED to get treatment. There were kids with broken arms, sick babies, kids with asthma attack, and kids with other issues. It was so hard to be there and seeing the kids in pain and suffering while their parents were trying to comfort them. However, I know we can't stop our children from getting sick. I guess we'll just have to deal with it and be there for them.

About Me

2009-04-01T13:34:00.001+10:00

My husband and I are born again Christians. We are very blessed to have two beautiful children - Jonathan 2.5 yr old and Esther 5 weeks old. I came from Malaysia and have been in Australia since 2002. I was trained as a special education teacher working with students with special needs. I am currently staying at home full-time looking after my two children. The reason I'm starting this blog is to write down my thoughts and experiences in life. I pray this blog will be a blessing to whoever that reads it.