Archive for March, 2008

I just finished my course of medications for my cough, sore throat and cold. When I was taking it, I was ok. Had good sleep. Nose was clear, cough was manageable, sore throat gone, had good sleep. I run out of medication today. This morning I woke up and the sore throat is back. Chey!

I changed my bedsheets on Friday. It took 3 rounds of washing over the weekend to clean them all. Last night the girl woke up at 1.30am and coughed non-stop….till she vomitted all over my clean duvet cover. Of course the comforter underneath got all wet and smelly too. Her daddy tried to carry her to the bathroom and that left a trail of vomit on her pyjamas, the floor and the kids playrug at the foot of the bed. The girl cried and rub her vomit all over her face leaving more mess. I was too tired to clean up last night so I did the best that I could and left the pile of sheets at the foot of my bed smelling the sweet smell of vomit throughout the night.

So now its back to a few rounds of washing again. Chey! Plus I have to clean out the floor and the rug. Chey! Looks like I won’t be doing any blog hopping today. Chey!

I’m beggining to sound like a tired old housewife. Yikes! All of my recent posts have been ranting, nagging, complaining posts. And I vowed at one time, never to rant on my blog. I only wanted to fill it with positive, happy things. A fine job I am doing with that! Hahaha. However, I must say that at least I remembered to hug my girl instead of scold her for making such a mess and that is a good thing.

I don’t know what you call it but thats what I’ve got.

Symptoms: Cough, sore throat, blocked nose and a red eye with greenish discharge or mucus coming out from the corners of the eye.

This unmerry-go-round started with my girl, who passed it my boy who passed it to me who passed it to my hubby. Round and round we go again!

I’ve been resisting going to the doctor. Nevermind, no fever or body aches and pains. Thats what I told myself. But this stupid red eye bug is extremely relentless and long lasting. Everytime, I thought I was getting better, I start feeling worse again. Especially the throat. So painful!

First it was the right side of the throat, next day ok, then the left side of the throat, next day fine, then both side of the throat painful, next day ok, then the right side of the throat very painful again. AAAAAARGGGH!

Finally, I surrendered and went to see the doctor yesterday who wanted to give me an injection for the pain. Bleargh! I opted for painkillers instead.

Hopefully the medication will make me feel better soon as I still have lots to do. I’m changing the sheets today. The girl puked on her pillow and the boy urinated on his side of the bed.

Right, better go start getting some things do before I start feeling woozy from the medications. Bettttterrrr geettt gooinnng nooooowww…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

So, how did I do yesterday? Well, lets see…

• Cook - Check. (For lunch. Dinner was takeout)
• Wipe dust of shelves - Check. I enlisted the kids help for this. The kids just love to help out (at this age 4 & 6). I took out one good morning towel for myself and cut another one into two for each of them. I dampened the cloth with water. Took everything down from the shelves ie all the knick knacks. Then I wiped the shelves and asked them to wipe the knick knacks. Of course they fought over which item they get to wipe. They also offered to wipe the cupboard doors which was great. My girl was delighted when she found a basketful of my old costume jewellery. “What a pretty basket” she said, followed by “Look, I found jewels mummy!” she exclaimed excitedly as she held out my old pearls and bangles. I found the fact that she referred to my items as “jewels” rather amusing. It makes me sound rich. Hahaha. “Oh, you found some treasure did you?” I teased her. Soon, I left them to it and went to clean out the toilet sink. When I returned, the pearls were making railway tracks all around the room and the bangles were being rolled around by the two little monkies.
• Naptime for the kids and me - Didn’t get this done because I was too busy wiping and they were too busy playing with the “jewels”. After that they insisted they wanted some tea because “doing work is so tiring”.
• Bathing the kids - Check. But I think they got dirty again from the dust and all the “wiping” they did.
• Clean Toilet - Check. I cheated on this one. What I did was made it look more presentable. There is a difference between making it look presentable and deep cleaning. To “make things look presentable”. all I need to do is spray some household substance that will poison and kill me faster and wipe dry. Very fast indeed. 10 minutes instead of an hour. As for the toilet bowl, whenever it looks dirty, I would pour more household substance that will poison and kill me faster into it, then give it a once over with the toilet brush and flush. Another 10 minutes. Sometimes you might catch me doing this in the middle of the night. Siao! Today, I decided to do just the sink. Sometimes, I do just the floor. Little steps, little steps. (Sikit sikit lama lama jadi bukit) and all will be done. Lol!
• Take kid to doctor - Skip as doctor is not around
• Supervise homework - Check. Not much homework today, luckily.
• Practise piano - Check. Teacher wanted me to memorise the Macgyver piece and play it as if I’m performing. I just can’t get it right. Been at it for weeks. I think the neighbours hate me and Macgyver by now. Haha.
• Boil water - Check.
• Wash dishes - Check.
• Fold laundry - Check. The kids offered to help as they love to do this too but I declined today after the bangle rolling incident.
• Iron clothes - Check. All 9 pieces. 5 minutes per piece equals 45 minutes of my life. A backbreaking task. My old bones can’t take it.
• Read book - No time.
• Sit with boy in front of pc to teach him ABC online - Check.
• Blog - Check.
• Exercise - Check. I’m just recovering from dunno what type of strong and long lingering bug so I took it easy. Out comes my salsa dance tape. Cha cha cha. Cha cha cha. Ok, done.

Not bad for a day’s work. Writing it down helps, otherwise I would have procrastinated and put everything in the back burner. Now, what shall I do today? Same ole same ole with some slight variations here and there like wash clothes instead of fold clothes, clean another toilet, etc.

Now lets see….

I’ve got the laundry to fold, and the the dust on the shelves and the mirrors look an inch deep. I usually bluff myself (and hubby) by telling myself that I don’t mind having a house full of dust so long as its full of love. But an inch of dust has gathered and thats a bit too much. Hehe.

And the toilet’s starting to look like a public toilet again. Yuck! Something has to be done about that. And I promised the boy that I would sit with him to do his ABCs in front of the computer. And when the girl comes home I’ve got to supervise her homework. That usually takes a looooong time.

And of course, I have to cook or there would be nothing to eat. Then there would be the dishes to do and water to boil or there would be none to drink. Then I need to bathe the kids and get them to nap in the afternoon. There’s also the book that I’m halfway reading. I simply must read the next chapter. Oh, and there are all those blogs that I want to read…. And I must practise my piano too before my next lesson. (I’m an adult learner because I never had the chance to learn as a kid).

I musn’t forget about the ironing. I better get round to ironing those shirts or hubby will have nothing to wear to work. I hate ironing second to washing the toilet.

And the girl needs to be taken to the doctor again because her cough is not going away. The doctor says that it can develop into asthma if left for too long. And I do need to catch up with my sleep too since I’m still not feeling well…. And there’s my exercises which I have been slacking in because I’m not feeling well…

Then there’s the children’s room which was turned over by hubby last night while he was searching for a lizard. Everything in the room is in a mess….. Sob. Sob. Normally its not messy. I have a motto to help me get rid of clutter in my life. A place for everything and everything in its place. That really works for me.

Thats just my todo list for the day. The rest I’m skipping till next time… like sweeping and mopping the floor, changing the bedsheets and washing them of course, and theres my beloved cross stitch gathering dust in some little corner of the house, the carpets to vacumn, and……… I think I better stop here before I start feeling overwhelmed. Better to break the tasks down into little ones and work from there. Phew!

I don’t know where to start!

Today somebody told me this. Sounds like a complement right? But its not. Hardly. It was something my girl told me because I had lost my voice due to a bad sore throat. Hahaha.

“I like you like this. Then you can’t scold us.” she said.

Which just goes to show how much I shout at them, nag and scold them each day from morning till bedtime.

“Hurry up.” “Stop fighting” “Don’t jump” “Go to sleep” “Pick up your toys” “Don’t run at the stairs” are some of the things I yell at them in desperation each day.

Once, I heard the kids discussing. “Daddy is nicer because he buys us toys. Mummy stays at home all day and scolds us the whole day.”

The kids associate daddy with fun and play and toys and “kai kai” (going out whether to the mall or to eat) so of course he wins in the fun department but I don’t mind because I’m still favourite. Hahaha. No matter how much I shout at them or scold them, I am still the favourite parent (for now) simply because of the amount of time I spend with them I guess.

And although they equate daddy with fun and play they are still afraid of him. “Don’t tell daddy” is a frequent request I hear from them.

Anyway, since she “likes me like this”, I guess I should try to be like this more often, no not the sore throat but less shouting at them. ;P

I’ve been seeing the world through blury vision. I can’t remember when in my adulthood that I required spectacles but the first time I made my specs and walked out of the shop, I was amazed at how clear everything looked all of a sudden. Although my power isn’t very high, around 150 plus minus still it made a big difference.

Over the recent years however, I found that my eyesight had actually gotten better and I didn’t need to wear glasses anymore. I thought it was just old age making my eyesight better. Anyway, I noticed that I have been squiting and struggling to see things from afar lately so hubby took me to the optician to get a new pair of spectacles.

Wow! Suddenly everything looks crystal clear again. Hahaha. I have some astigmatism as well so my night vision was greatly improved after I donned my new glasses. We went for a car ride last night and everything looked so pretty, all the night lights, the street lamps and other colored decorative lights, the high rise apartments (I could actually see the little windows in them now and not just a blur of lights. Lol!), as we zoomed passed buildings, I could see all the names of the shops with clarity.  Wheeee!

Fantastic. Now I don’t need to look at the world through blury vision again. Only one thing though………..now I look like the Ah Soh that I am. (Not that I didn’t look like Ah Soh before but now even more so!)

Cooking two meals a day can be rather tiring. Thinking of what to cook is equally tiring. What do you cook when you wish to have your family eat good nutritious home cooked meals twice a day? It must be easy to clean up too. Not too messy and don’t require too much preparation time. A tall order I tell you.

I’m still in my lazy mode so I’m sticking with my one-pot meals. I’m great at making those. One pot chicken rice, one pot yam rice, one pot spaghetti, one pot vermicilli soup, one pot tomato rice, one pot porridge whether its sliced fish or minced pork, beef or chicken porridge. Just throw in some veg, carrots, cabbage, tomato, celery or brocolli or whatever you can find in your fridge and the porridge becomes wholesome, nutritious and complete and the kids eat their veges without knowing it.

But I’m running out of ideas…………. Can anyone give me some good ideas on other simple meals to cook? Links to your recipes, if any, would be most appreciated.

Have visited the gynae for the pain my the left breast complain. First she did an ultrasound to view the two cyst in the ovaries which she found during my last pap smear and told me that they have shrunk. “Don’t worry, its not cancer” she says. “You can come back in 6 months or a year and we’ll monitor it. Hopefully it will have disappeared by then.”

I told her about the pain in the left breast around the area where she said she had found a lump. “Should I get a mamogram?” I asked her. “There’s no harm” she said but she didn’t suggest or insist on it. She then did an ultrasound of the breasts. “The ultrasound will help us to see any cyst.” she said. She did not found any. She said that the pain was probably caused by the breast tissues. There is more tissues on the left according to her. Hmmm….. maybe I’m fatter there.

She then took some blood for a tumour marker test and concluded the visit by giving me antibiotics and Evening Primrose Oil for 4 months. Initially she had wanted to give me Vitamin E for two months but changed to EPO instead. She said the pain could be caused by infection and thats what the antibiotics is for. I told her that I was taking anti-seizure medicine and asked her about the safety of taking the antibiotics and the EPO.

She said they were safe. She told me that the medicine I was taking could have caused some hormonal imbalances and the EPO will balance it back. The damage was RM326.

When I got back I searched the net for “Evening Primrose Oil and Epilepsy” and found that it is not advisable for those with epilepsy to take EPO as it could cause seizures. Hmm… Anyway, the tumour marker results are out and its normal.

So we’ll live with things as it is until the next annual appointment. After the conclusion of this visit, I think I’ll wait a while before getting a mamogram done.

I received an email that suggested that as wives you should try to find out what you and your husband have in common, then you go and plan some activities or whatever around those things you have in common whether its food, music or whatever and this ought to make the man happy.

So that got me thinking…. Now what do I and my man have in common? I started with the basics.

• Food - I like to try new things. He likes the same ole, same ole.. (But he is getting more adventurous lately. Yippee!)
• Music - I like slow sentimental music. He says those put him to sleep. He likes music with some more beat and oomph and life to it. When I play my slow sentimental music he would ask “What kind of music is that/are you listening to??!” incredulously.
• Sleep - I’m a night owl. He’s an early bird. Need I say more?
• Hobbies - I like to blog. He doesn’t know what is a blog….. previously. Now, he knows but he just doesn’t care about blogging nor have the time or interest to.
• Books - He reads all sorts of finance and investment books that puts me to sleep. Yaaawwwn! I read silly magazines that make him shake his head on why I read that trash. His other love is comics. I’ve started to read them too because they’re light reading, a bit like my trashy mags.
• Aiyoh! I better stop here. We are so different!

Looks like opposites do attract. So what shall I do now? The article did not suggest what to do when you can’t find things in common. Lol! So what about you? Are you and your man opposites or peas in a pod?

How to be the Perfect Wife - The 50s way to welcome a man when he comes home from work.

This was taken from Helen B. Andelin’s Fascinating Womanhood, published by Pacific Press in 1965. The course was designed to teach women how to be happy in marriage.

This is how I fare as a perfect wife. (written in green within brackets after the text). Read on and check how you are doing against the list.

GET YOUR WORK DONE
Plan your tasks with an eye on the clock. Finish or interrupt them an hour before he is expected. Your anguished cry, “Are you home already?” is not exactly a warm welcome. (I’m usually asleep when he gets home)

HAVE DINNER READY
Plan ahead, even the night before to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed. (I’m usually asleep when he gets home. When he wakes me I make a mad dash to the kitchen to prepare dinner)

PREPARE YOURSELF
Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. This will also make you happy to see him instead of too tired to care. Turn off the worry and be glad to be alive and grateful for the man who is going to walk in. While you are resting you can be thinking about your Fascinating Womanhood assignment and all you can do to make him happy and give his spirits a lift. When you arise, take care of your appearance. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift. (I’m usually asleep when he gets home. Ribbons in hair? Haha. Toussled hair more like it)

CLEAR AWAY THE CLUTTER
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. in a bucket or wastebasket and put them in the back bedroom for sorting later. Then run a dustcloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift too. Having the house in order is another way of letting him know that you care and have planned for this homecoming. (This one is alright because I usually get rid of the clutter before I have a nap with the kids)

PREPARE THE CHILDREN
Take just a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small) comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them look the part. (The kids are usually asleep when he gets home)

MINIMIZE ALL NOISE
Especially give heed to this if your husband has to join rush hour traffic. At the time of his arrival eliminate noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet at the time of their father’s arrival. Let them be a little noisy beforehand to get it out of their system. (The house is very quiet because we’re all asleep)

BE HAPPY TO SEE HIM
Greet him with a warm smile and act glad to see him. Tell him that it is good to have him home. This may make his day worthwhile. If there is any romance left in you, he needs it now. (Hopefully I don’t snore in my sleep)

SOME DON’TS

• Don’t greet him with problems and complaints. Solve the problems you can before he gets home and save those you must discuss with him until later in the evening. (Sometimes I call him up at work with problems and complaints)
• Also, don’t complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as a minor problem when compared with what he might have gone through that day. (I don’t complain when he’s late because it gives me more time to complete my tasks before he gets home)
• Don’t allow the children to rush at him with problems or requests. Allow them to briefly greet their father but save demands for later. (No problem because they’re usually asleep)

MAKE HIM COMFORTABLE
Have him lean back into a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to massage his neck and shoulders and take off his shoes. Don’t insist on this however. Turn on music if it is one of his pleasures. Speak in a soft, soothing, pleasant voice. Allow him to relax - to unwind.  (Err.. how to make him comfortable when I’m usually asleep comfortably in bed?)

LISTEN TO HIM
You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first, then he will be a more responsive listener later. (Yaaawwwn. How was your day? Ok? Good. I have to go and cook now!)

MAKE THE EVENING HIS
Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and to relax. If he is cross or irritable, never fight back. Again, try to understand his world of strain. (Usually he is not cross or irritable but I am!)

THE GOAL
Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit. Then add to this the application of all the principles of Fascinating Womanhood and your husband will want to come home. He will rather be with you than with anyone else in the world and will spend whatever time he can possibly spare with you. Try living all of these rules for his homecoming and see what happens. This is the way to bring a man home to your side, not by pressure, persuasion or moral obligation. (Walaueh, I fail miserably so how?)

Oh dearie me. At the rate I’m going, my husband won’t want to come home. But then this list is the 50s way of welcoming a man when he comes home from work. Times have changed sistas. Time have changed.

How do you greet your man when he gets home from work or perhaps it is he who greets you when you come back from work?