Mums - Let's Stick Together and Support Each Other

A girlfriend share this post by Dr Carolyn Nee on Facebook yesterday - "A Letter from a Working Mother to a Stay at Home Mother and Vice Versa" .

It is a well-written post acknowledging the hard work of both mums who stay at home and those who work. Neither role has less value than the other. In fact, both roles are equally important. I am tired of these constant debate in the media about whose role is better, and the on-going thrashing by both parties turning on each other.

For me, it's all about personal choices and what suits your family. I strongly believe that if Mum is happy, then the family or household is happy. That's definitely the case in my family.

I understand that sometimes, women don't have a choice and need to work for financial reasons. And that's OK too. As women, we need to support each other regardless of the role we play. No one truly knows the true circumstance of each family, so we shouldn't be quick to judge. Instead of being bitchy, envious and turning on each other, let's support all Mums as they carry on their role.

Stop the mummy bashing!!

Shopping for Winter Shoes and Boots

Finally, I have bought shoes for winter for my girls. My girls have lean and narrow feet which makes it a challenge to buy shoes most of the time. Ballet slippers popular with girls their age do not fit well. They slip off and are not comfortable. When the time comes to buy new shoes, I grit my teeth and traipse the different stores like Myer, David Jones, Shoes and Sox, The Shoe Shop, Novo until we find the right pair.

The weather is slowly getting cooler although the days are still warm, but it's time to think about winter boots and shoes. Last Saturday, Ash and I went shoe shopping at Myer. She's wearing size 6 shoes now, two sizes smaller than mine. My, how she has grown my teenager. We were lucky and found two pairs - brown and black at Myer with a bonus sale 50% discount on the second pair. The brown pair has studs and a slight heel which Ash really likes. Cait wasn't keen on the heel and may have had a word or two with me about buying those boots for Ash.

Today, we went to shop for Cait's shoes. Found a pair of black patent boots at Myer with 25% discount. Score again! Then it was off to Shoes and Soxs for a pair of Mary Jane style shoes. Cait was tempted by a pair of Clark's ballet slippers which fit really well, but Ash and I overrruled her on the colour. It was gold. Finally decided on a pair of dark burgendy Mary Jane shoes that were made in Spain. Cait is wearing size 1 shoes now.

All in all, this year's winter shoes and boots shopping has been relatively stress free. Phew!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Reflection on 2012

My, my....how 2012 has flown by. 21 Dec 2012 came and went just like any other day, despite the Mayan prediction that it was the end of the world. How did you prepare for the end of the world? Did you spend the day with loved ones? Ate all of your favourite foods? Spend all your money/ I know some friends who held off buying any Christmas presents just in case.

School is over for the year. It was a challenging year for Caitlin who changed schools mid year which has really turned out to be the best thing for her. We are proud of her and how she has easily adjusted to the new school, new environment and new friends. It's a joy to hear your child say she loves her school and looks forward to going to school every day. It affirms that we made the right decision despite agonising over it for a few months. A glowing report card at the end of the year was brought home to our delight. Caitlin now looks forward to moving into Year 2 in 2013 with a new mix of friends as they have split the two classes again to ensure the children make new friends.

For Ashleigh, again another big 2nd year in high school. Work and assignments got tougher, combining with her musical commitment in school and outside of school made it even more challenging for her. She also brought home an excellent report card and we were extremely proud that her hard work was rewarded. A proud moment for her was winning the bronze medal at the volleyball match in Term 4. I think she has finally found the game for her. She enjoyed the team work and camaraderie with the other girls in her team. At the start of Term 4, the team looked shaky to win any medal, so the win at the end was a lovely surprise and reward for the hard work and early morning practices (something we parents are happy it's now over). With her music ensemble, Ashleigh travelled to southern NSW and Snowy Mountains on tour playing at three different schools along the way. We missed her during those days, but she had a great time with her ensemble. Towards the end of the year, Ashleigh had braces put in after 2 months wearing expanders to widen her jaw.

Work was also busy for Chris and I, what's new there? The next 6 months will be a roller coaster ride for me and my colleagues at work as we work towards implementing the biggest changes in our industry. There is much to prepare to ensure we're successful and the changes are rolled out as seamlessly and smoothly as possible.

We hope to be reunited with my extended family in Malaysia during 2013 to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. We are all praying that her health continues to remain good so that we can celebrate this significant milestone with her.

Early bird or Night owl?

Yesterday, I post on my FB wall that I am a Morning person. Even on weekends, I am usually awake by 7am or the latest 9am (which is extremely rare). I have always been this way.
In my younger days, I wake up early to read in bed. These days, not that easy to keep this habit since there's always chores to get to e.g laundry. I like to start my chores early and get them over and done with, then it's time to relax.

There were many different responses to my post. Some were like me, wake up early and start the day to get tasks out of the way. Others are night owls who keep the lights burning till late. Which is fine with me. Whatever floats your boat!

Ladies Lunch

I met with up with three girlfriends today for a ladies' lunch at Chat Thai, Westfield Sydney. I didn't take any photos today, too busy catching up on each other's news. I have know these ladies for more than 10 years since our oldest children attended the same long day centre. With our busy lives, it's not often we meet up, but it's always lovely to be able to do this. Our girls are older now and in high school. Our conversations used to about our children, how they are doing in school etc. Today, the topics covered were mammogram, general health, hormone levels, grey hairs, facials etc.. how times have changed.

I like the Thai food at Chat Thai. It has good flavour and spicy heat levels. I find my local Thai place is too watered down and sweet. The restaurant is not big and it gets busy during the peak times. There is also no reservations but a piece of paper stuck on the glass where you write your name. The waiter/waitress will call your no and ask if all guests have arrived, if not, you'll have to step aside and wait till everyone in your group arrives. I really don't like this no reservation business.

Online Shopping

Online shopping is very popular these days. It's so easy to sit at home or at work, a few clicks and credit card handy and away you go. A few days later, the package will arrives at work or home. How easy is that! I have been shopping online for years, starting with eBay and Amazon. The strong Aussie dollar has also helped to grow the online shopping market.

Whilst I enjoy the convenience of online shopping, there are some items where I still prefer to visit the stores to check out the items or try on the clothing or jewellery. Unless I know a particular brand of clothing and size, I am weary of buying anything online. Shoes are another item which I won't buy online. I need to try the shoes, walk around the shop before making a decision. But I do know a few girlfriends who are happy to buy shoes and clothing from ASOS or Topshop, UK stores where prices are reasonable and sometimes free shipping is offered to.

Books are something that I would buy online as the prices are so much cheaper. I realise that I am contributing to the demise of bookstores but when there is a difference of $10 or more per book, I know which channel I will use. Besides, with my Kindle and iPad, it is so easy to find a book I like, one-click and download to the device.

A few years ago, I was recommended to buy cosmetics and skincare products from Strawberry.net The prices are way below what I would normally pay retail price over here. It's always exciting to get a message from the Mail room at work to advise that there is a parcel waiting. Then when I head downstairs, I see this white package with purple ribbon tied around it, which is the signature packaging for Strawberry.net. The boxes inside are also perfectly wrapped in purple hologram paper. Sometimes, you can buy products unwrapped, which is even cheaper.

Pocket Money for Kids

A recent article in the Daily Telegraph provided some food for thought on this topic. According to the report, about 37% of Oz 10-11 year old children receive weekly pocket money. The study also found 94% of parents pay their children to help around the house.

In our family, only our eldest girl gets pocket money each week. We only started to give her the money ($10 per week) in Year 5 when she started taking the train home after school. Ash is tight with her cash, so most weeks, she saves the full amount. Now that she is in high school, she gets $20 per week. Again, she has been saving most of it since she doesn't buy anything from the tuckshop at school since she prefers to pack her morning teas and lunches. With the money, she will use it to buy birthday gifts for Mum and Dad as well as Caitlin. At Christmas, she is pretty generous too.

Lately, our youngest has also asked for pocket money. But she is still too young, although we are teaching her about money. Cait has now asked us to pay her for the chores that she does - set the table for meals and empty the bin in her room on garbo nights. But I don't subscribe to the idea of paying her for doing her chores. My rationale is the home is shared by everyone who lives here, therefore, everyone should pitch in to help. After all, many hands make light work right?

What are your thoughts about giving pocket money to children? 

What's up?

Why..hello there...remember me? It's been more than a month since I last wrote a post. School started at the end of Jan and it's been full steam ahead with no breaks. Work has also been extremely busy juggling multiple projects at different stages makes my head spin. Year 8 also began with gusto - homework from Day 1. I guess the honeymoon year Ashleigh had in Year 7 is well and truly over. It was also the same start for Caitlin in Year 1 too, homework, spelling, reading, preparing news topic each week. At the Year 1 parent info evening, her teacher Ms C told parents she wants our girls to be learn to be more independent. Therefore, Caitlin must be responsible for completing her homework, packing her library bag on Wednesdays (the policy is no bag no borrowing!), learn her spelling words for test on Friday and reading her books every day.

The first few weeks didn't go too well as everyone was adjusting back to routines again. Now that we're in the middle of Term 1, it's coming together nicely, with the odd hiccup here and there. I'm constantly reminding myself not to get too stressed about this. After all, life's too short to sweat the small stuff.

Now that I've returned to full-time work, means a small adjustment to our lives too. Fridays are no longer my run around days, things just have to be done on the weekends.

School holidays and the Easter break are not far off. Chris and I are heading to Clare Valley and McLaren Vale in South Australia for a long weekend shortly. We definitely need the break, will miss the girls though.

From the Archives

I spent a couple of hours on New Year's day clearing the study and storage area. Amazing how much junk gets accumulated throughout the year. Whilst chucking things out, I came across a new box of 3.5 inch disks. Wow... it was a step back in time. Hubby and I tried to recall the last time we used a disk to archive data or copy files. We also found various pieces of junk e.g. his filofax (remember those? it was cool then to have one), CD writer, CD player, palm pilot device.

Wrapping Up 2011

Two more sleeps till Christmas and it's come to the pointy end of 2011. Days are passing quicker filled with tasks that need to be completed; appointments to be met, preparing for the holidays and gatherings with friends and family to organise to finish the year with a bang!

In 2011, I am grateful for:

• my new role in a different division of the same organisation and the challenges the role brings. 
• being part of a Mentoring program at work which has helped me work out a new career direction.
• how well my two girls have settled in Junior and Senior schools.
• Chris finding an IT contracting position so quickly in April.
• the three weeks that my sister and her family spent with us in July.
• our family vacation in KK and Singapore. Thanks Jolene and Andrew for including our girls in your bridal party.
• good friends who continue to play an important role in our lives.
• my parents and in-laws who help us to look after our girls whilst hubby and I are at work. They have helped make our lives less stressful.
• our good health despite the usual sniffles in winter, we've survived the year.
• the wonderful team at work who make going to work worthwhile.
• the opportunity to work with the 6-9 year old children in the Atrium.  It is humbling to know that I play an important role in helping the children come closer to God.
• for friends I have met in the blogsphere. I love how FB and blogging has opened new avenues to make friends.
• so much more that I can't remember.

But mostly, thank God for being able to wake up each day and for my beautiful family.

Freshly Laundered

It was been a very wet week in Sydney since last Monday until midday on Saturday. Finally, the sun came out and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. After a week of low lying grey clouds with rain, heavy at times, the sun was a welcome sight to all. As soon as I was sure the sun was here to stay, I quickly started a load of washing. It had been a week of nil laundry. I could have done a wash during the week but I really dislike using the dryer for the clothes.

Today, I did four loads of laundry. It was a lovely view of my garden when I saw the towels, bedsheets and clothes hanging on the Hills Hoist and turning around with the wind. Bliss! I don't know about you, but I am weird in that I love the smell of freshly laundered and sun-dried clothes. It has that sense of cleanliness that brings such satisfaction to me...the simple things in life.

On top of being friendlier to the environment, using the sun and wind to dry the laundry also means savings to the hip pocket. The dryer is a household appliance that sucks up a lot of energy, and in these days of high power bills, it is a blessing not to use the dryer. Besides, I find the dryer can damage some clothes, especially the more items made from fragile materials.

What about you, dear readers? Do you prefer the sun or the dryer for your clothes?

Recipe Library

How do you keep a record of your favourite recipes or recipes that you want to try? Do you bookmark the links on your internet browser? Do you write a list somewhere for later reference? Do you write the recipes into a notebook?

Before I returned to Sydney to start my tertiary education in 1991, I remembered spending days at home in KL writing down simple easy to cook recipes that I can follow. During my senior high school years, I lived in a boarding school so my meals were catered for. During my uni days, I shared a flat with two others but we never shared the cooking due to different timetables. It was challenging to cook for one person and at times, it was easier to walk up the road to the Junction to eat at the local Asian eateries.

I still keep the 'Buku Latihan' (exercise books) that I wrote the recipes in. Over the years, I have accumulated many recipe books and foodie magazines. Hence, I am confronted with the dilemma, how do I keep a record of these recipes? What is the best way to keep track of the recipes that I want to try in each of the monthly foodie magazines? What about recipes that I come across at the hairdressers or doctors? Initially I placed post-it notes on the recipes that I was interested in. But then, it also got difficult to find the recipes when I wanted to try them.

Now, I am trialing this method of listing the recipes in an Excel spreadsheet; categorising them by 'Beef', 'Pork', 'Chicken', 'Vegetarian', 'Desserts', 'Cookies' etc. Each time I come across a recipe that I want to try, I type the reference next to the name, so I know which magazine or source.  Let's see how this method goes. Hopefully it will work.

I love to hear your methods to record and store your favourite recipes or recipes that you like to try.

Weekly Meal Plans

Do you plan your weekly meals? I know many mums who sit down each week and plan their meals for the coming week. I think it's great to take some time each week to plan ahead, to write out a list of things to buy so that you can do one big shopping trip rather than several trips to the markets or supermarkets. It also saves you money when you only buy what you need for the week. I have found those extra trips to the supermarkets usually ends up with buying other items that were not on the list.

I used to plan my meals for the week. Since my return to work, my Mum has been cooking our dinners on the days  I work. So, this leaves me with three days in a week that I have to plan. Out of these three days, we usually eat out once, which leaves two. Chris cooks on one of those days so I only end up cooking for one day a week. As a consequence, I do not plan anymore. When we want to cook, we will then go and buy the ingredients, and most importantly stick to the list. We live close to the shops which is good and bad.

There are number of mum's blogs which published their weekly plans online which is helpful for those seeking ideas of what to cook for their family. I have found these two to be the best that I've across in the web:

• Planning with Kids - Nicole has a comprehensive blog with numerous recipes and a weekly menu planner that you can subscribe to.
• The Organised Housewife - As her blog title indicates, Kat is a super organised Mum. Her site has many ready to print lists, recipes and planners for her readers.

What do you do in your household?

Mums United

Just before we went away for our holidays to Malaysia and Singapore, I received a phone call from Dana at Soup Research team. The purpose of Dana's call was to invite me to be part of the Mums United project by The Heart Foundation. The purpose of the project is to encourage Australian families to make small changes to their lifestyles and diet to have a better life.

When Dana explained the purpose behind the project and what will be involved, I was interested to be part of this campaign. There is a history of heart disease in my hubby's and my family. Hence the Mums United project was something that I could related to. Heart disease is one of the main causes of death in Australian woman. One should not think that only obese people suffer from heart disease. We have a few friends who are skinny but have had heart attacks.

As a mother and wife as well as the main grocery buyer in the family, I am always looking for the Heart Foundation tick approved products like Bega So Extra Light cheese as a guide on what is good and healthy to buy for my family.


The Mums United site contains fun activities for the family, easy to follow recipes to cook and other suggestions on how to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Praiseworthy Customer Service

source:connectedaustralia.com

A week ago, I had a rant about the poor customer service I received from the manager at the pharmacy in my local shopping centre. Today, I had the opposite experience. It was late in the day, right at closing time when I walked into the Harvey Norman Superstore in Chatswood Chase. The guy was literally about to shut the doors, when I rushed in explaining I wanted to buy an SD card for my camera and will be quick about it. Surprisingly, he gave me a smile and said I could come in, when I was expecting him to shut the door in my face, since it was home time. I quickly made my way to the camera section. There I was greeted by another sales person with a smile. For a millisecond I was frozen on the spot with a stunned mullet look (Note: a mullet is a type of fish). Once again, I was taken back by the excellent customer service I was experiencing. I explained to this guy what I wanted and he took the time to explain the different brands and prices before making a recommendation. Remember, this is already past their usual closing time at 5:30pm. I thought I pushed the envelope further and ask about UV filters for my two camera lenses. Again, this guy was extremely helpful, he went to check the correct measurements for the two lenses and recommended the correct UV filters. By the time I left the store it was close to 5:40pm, even the cashier was friendly. Harvey Norman actually kept the store opened for an extra 10 minutes to serve me.

After HN, I popped into David Jones to check out their iPad2 covers. Once I again, I was impressed with the time the guy, Matt, took to explain the different cover types and which ones he would recommend and ones he would not. He went on further to explain why some of the covers were not good due to the quality etc. This was way better service than what I would have received at the Apple Store in the same shopping centre (which is always busy that one is hard-pressed to find someone to ask a quick question).

Wow, I was floored..... two praiseworthy customer service experiences within 30 minutes of each other. Thanks HN and David Jones. Not sure if this is an indication of the times - poor retail trade, so staff are working harder to go the extra mile. Keep it up guys!

Photography Course

I have had my Canon EOS 500D SLR for nearly a year. I am still using the auto settings. I need to learn how to use the different settings and also work out the best way to take photos taking into account exposure, depth of field and shutter speed etc. I decided to book for a one-day photography workshop to get more out of my camera. I did some research online and there are numerous courses to choose from. In addition, there were also quite a few offers on Living Socials and Groupons to confuse me. In the end, I decided on a one-day course with Andy Piggott. When I read the course outline, I liked the idea that the class is conducted outdoors at Hyde Park in Sydney and covers the topics that I am interested in. It is also a hands-on class. I didn't like the idea of sitting in a class listening to the theory of how a camera works.

I woke up the appointed day, anxious and excited about the class. It was a a little sunny with some clouds about and light drizzle from time to time. I met Andy and 8 others at 9:15am near the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park in the city. The class was split into two sessions:

Morning Session
Topics covered include how to control motion with shutter speeds, using apertures and Depth of Field to blur backgrounds (or to keep them sharp). Exposure compensation, Exposure bracketing.

Then we had a 30 mins break for lunch.

Afternoon Session
The afternoon session expanded on the morning's learning and explained the advantages of RAW files, how to optimise White Balance. Learn how to make better portraits and close-ups. We also did some "panning" and explore perspective. "Panning" was an interesting exercise. All of us lined up on Park St (Hyde Park side) and took photos of passing cars, cyclists and ambulances. It is not an easy skill to grasp, it will come with practice. But when you've grasped this skill, it's a great way to take moving objects - cars or children or animals. We received some strange looks from people passing by as we stood on the side of the road like a row of paparazzi.

I went to the class with some expectations and I must say the class has met them and more. My head is spinning now with all the information Andy has covered today. I won't say that I am confident to use manual settings but at least I know what all the different buttons and settings are for. I am still a long way from taking awesome photos, but I hope this will come with practise, practise, practise. Andy did provide great notes for review. He also gave good advice about the different types of lenses, flash, memory cards and why it is best to shoot photos in RAW form.

I am looking forward to more practice during our upcoming holidays in East Malaysia and Singapore. I have to stop using the Auto settings and use P, AV and TV. I also have  shopping list of things to add to my equipment.

Voting with my feet

There have been many reports in the news recently of the poor performance in the retail industry. Australian consumers are either more savings conscious now or are turning to online retailers to buy their goods. Given this bleak outlook for the retailers with major retailers like David Jones and Harvey Norman downgrading their forecast profit earnings, one would think that the retailers and their staff will work harder on their customer service to increase and retain sales. In the last 6 months, we have seen the closure of Borders, Angus and Robertson, Colorado, Just Jeans and Portmans stores. The outlook is bad indeed. So what am I ranting about? Poor customer service!

I popped into the pharmacy at my local shopping centre to buy my medication for hypertension. I did not have a script with me as I forgot to visit the doctor for a new script. In the past, the chemist has been helpful to sell you the medication on the proviso that you bring the new script to show them within a week or two. Well...when I explained to the pharmacist (have never met her before, so I assume she is new) my situation, she immediately got annoyed and said that she could not sell me the medication, because it is too much paperwork for her to complete if she gave me the medication now. Hence, she told me to visit my doc and return with the script. WTF! You can imagine my mood....

When I arrived home, I mentioned my experience to my Mum and she also had a bad experience with the said stupid cow (not Mum's exact words). Apparently Mum had also visited the pharmacy to buy some vitamins and the stupid cow was absolutely unfriendly. Now I know that this is the only pharmacy at this particular shopping centre, since the other pharmacy (which was our usual) closed down recently due to poor performance. But there is no reason to be an absolute bitch to your customers. So I am voting with my feet, I have banned my family from visiting this pharmacy. We will find another to buy our medication. There are a number of pharmacies in our neighbourhood where we can take out business to.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Does the Weather Affect You?

As I write this post, it is a beautiful clear sky wintery day in Sydney. Such a contrast to last week when the weather was grey, windy and wet, wet, wet. It was difficult to drag myself out of bed to prepare for work and school. And that grey, gloomy and wet weather went on for days... nearly 4. It was enough to make anyone go 'cuckoo', especially those with children who were stuck at home, children returning to school after the winter holidays. It was a pain to get to work, using the trains. It was wet and slippery everywhere and people were poking each other with their umbrellas. For the 4 days of rain, I felt unmotivated and a lack of energy. All I wanted to do was to curl up with a good book, in front of the fire or warm heater and read. Basically do nothing. Here in Sydney, we tend to get rain for a few days in a row. Unlike Malaysia, where there is a tropical shower to cool the air and clear the humidity. I could not do the laundry as I try to avoid using the clothes dryer for environmental reasons, saving energy and also the harm the extreme heat can do to the clothes.

Today, with the bright sunshine, I have washed two loads of laundry. I am HAPPY! I love the smell of clean, sun-dried clothes. My mood is lifted, and I am motivated to get things done. What do I have plan? I have my eldest at home today, she has been unwell with the flu and her asthma has flared up. I have to finish off some work at home. I have plans to make a pumpkin soup for lunch and maybe bake some chocolate muffins for tomorrow's school lunch.

Catherine (Kate) and William

All eyes will be focused on Westminster Abbey on Friday (29 Apr 2011) at 11am (London time) to witness the royal wedding of Princess William and his beautiful bride, Catherine (Kate) Middleton. Like most women, I am keen to see what the wedding gown will look like. You can view the schedule here.  I can still remember watching the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding in 1981. What a lavish wedding that was - the carriages, the huge wedding dress, the royal family - and what a tragic ending for the late Princess Diana.

Time to chill the champagne ready to toast the royal couple. Cheers!

No Baking or Roasting

There will be no baking or roasting in our home for sometime. Our oven is out of order, I suspect the heating element is blown. I'll have to organise to have the oven repaired. It has served us well for close to 10 years and it is a well-used oven, at least twice a week. Girls are disappointed that there will be no cakes or muffins this week.