Wordless Wednesday: Mango Teaser

This is a really amusing shot I took during our recent Bird Park trip. Aloysius had just gotten a tall cup of mango ice and our baby girl immediately set eyes on it. And of course, cheeky Daddy gotta teased her with that. 

My poor baby, I’m sorry you would have to wait awhile more before you can have mango ice. 

Not now, not yet.

Confession Of a Mean Wife (aftermath)

If you had read my confession some time back, you should know that I had a “b*&^%” or as some of my very nice readers said “a humane” moment with my hubby. It was indeed a very low point for myself because I never expect the pain and guilt to hit me so badly when you hurt your love ones. And all at the moment I thought was that I will feel better by releasing my pant up anger/frustrations. 

But it was the very moment that the words slipped out that I wished I had never said it. You know...like how you were so assertive and your voice just got softer and you just do not know how to continue your speech when you see the disappointment and sadness in  your spouse’s eyes? OMG.... That “look" kills me instantly. 

Of course it has been a couple of days, Aloysius and I have made up and moved on from that episode. No worries, we still love each other and I feel we did get lovier again. Maybe it’s a sense of guilt that I want to make up to him? Or perhaps I do come to realise that there’s nothing “unsolvable” between a couple and how bad can things get? He isn’t the only one to be blamed and I should take responsibility for whatever happened too?

I saw this comment that a very lovely reader makes an effort to leave. It totally got into my heart.

"First, remember that you are on the same side! Always. Make your case with this always in mind, he is not your enemy, he is your ally.”

Indeed. He is my husband and the father of our child. We are a family and we are supposed to work together as a team. Where’s the teamwork in our relationship if all I do is to point finger and push the blame to him for my misery? 

I have been doing a lot of reflection by reading, chatting with my “therapist” aka god-sis in the USA, BFF and also taking in and making sense of the comments/advice that you guys bother to leave after reading my confession. It’s definitely not unsolicited advice. I am very grateful that there are people who care. Isn’t that lovely to get a little love and support in the blogosphere? Sometimes, I do believe the best advice you get is from a stranger out there. At least, you know it’s a non-bias, non-judgmental and non-pressuring views and advice. 

Thanks so much, my dear friends. To those who care and offer a listening ear and advice.

And here’s a lovely quote I gotten from Pinterest and it’s really meaningful. 

{via}

How To Really Love A Child?

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Kissing elephants? Really? Hmm.... I might need to consider this.

☺

With The Birdies and Trees

I can’t gather how long it has been since my last trip to Singapore Jurong Bird Park. It has been ages. I have been wanting to go but there wasn’t a good reason for me to go pay the birdies a visit. So recently I saw an invitation from them(via Omy.Sg) and I knew now was the perfect time; especially when you have a kiddo.

Recently, Jurong Bird Park had also organised the “Save The Colour” event during the June school holidays which aimed to help educate the public, especially the kids, in conserving the natural habitats of the birds. The event officially ended yesterday and I’m glad we made it.

okay, not exactly the Origami Village pic but colourful and pretty nonetheless.  this was taken right after we alighted.
Too happy to contain my excitement.
“babeeee.....we need to take a pic here. NOW!"

Once entered, you can see that the entrance was decorated to what looks like an Origami Village. Very lovely and colourful. There were lots of interesting activities going around like origami folding and face painting for the kids. Besides these, you can also send a post card with a conservation message to a family member or friend in Singapore. Kids were also encouraged to “adopt” a crane with an attached personal message and the contribution will go to Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund. Isn’t this a great way to care and share?

Of course being at Jurong Bird Park, we can’t miss the good ol’ regular stuffs you have to do when you visit. We “dashed” to as many shows as we can and covered shows like the Birds & Buddies show, the Fuji Hawk show and the Penguine Feeding “show" too.  

with the mascot and Allysa was frightened by the SUPER penguin. 

while waiting for the show...

Yes! we were this close... =) beautiful hornbill.

how cool?

penguin feeding time. aint they adorable?

by the flamingoes’ pond.

with the lories. I was a wussy and din dare go near them. in fact, it’s quite terrifying to be inside the loft. lol...lories were flying everywhere. arrghh... so we din feed the lories. 

and the tallest man-made waterfall (30m), of course!
 ooo..and we had to “flee” for our lives before we were sucked dry by the mozzies there.
were bitten MANY TIMES during the shots I reckon.
maybe Allysa saw a mozzie?

We are not sure if Allysa, at 11 mths, knew what was going on but I guess she might,  maybe a little. At least, she seems curious seeing so many birds and people for the first time in her life. 

her happiest moment! run freeee....as free as the birds fly. 

Verdict?

We will definitely make a visit back to Jurong Bird Park soon. Or perhaps, make plans to explore the Zoo and Safari with Allysa soon. I love the overall experience. It’s such a great and meaningful way to spend a day there with my family. 

And last but not least, if you are a rookie family like us, who are also bringing your baby out to such places for the first time.

 Here are some useful tips for you:

Anti-mozzie patches or repellant is really useful. You do need them.

Wear comfy and sweat-absorbant clothings. You might not want to dress your baby in tights.

Water spritz with fan are good for on-the-go instant pick-me-up.

And be upbeat and positive throughout the trip.

Your baby (and you) might be grouchy, cranky from the crowd, heat and tiredness, but most importantly, to focus and just enjoy the whole experience as a family! 

The Beauty Of Vulnerability

Just watched this great video via Tiny Buddha. Very inspiring and touching and got me crying buckets while watching this. What Brene Brown said hit me like a nail. It’s late now and definitely not in the mood to write and sob at the same time. I need to sleep and get ready for my Bird Park outing later. Probably will write a post on this later.

For the article from Tiny Buddha, click here.

Meanwhile. Enjoy.

Confession of a Mean Wife

This morning, I had been a total b%^&# to Aloysius. Seriously, I sometimes feel being a SAHM brings out the best and worst in me. I was never like this before.

I have become a really great mom to my little baby - caring for her 24/7, making sure she is well taken care of physically, emotionally and intellectually. I make sure she eats well, plays well and is happy most of the time. I dote on her but do not spoil her. 

I failed or has been slacking miserably on my role as a wife. And it makes matter worse when we do not spend a lot of time together as Aloysius returns home very late everyday. When he is home and the moment he sees me, all he wants is to talk to me. And all I do is to Shush him or ask him to reduce his volume (and showing him a piss-up look) as I do not want him to wake Allysa up. Allysa is a really light sleeper and the last thing I want is for her to be waken up. I mean, for goodness sake, her sleeping time equates my break/rest time. SO it MEANS a lot to me when she sleeps in the night and I am usually really exhausted by the end of the day. And it also irritates me when he creates noises in and out of the room. But when all he wants to do, at the end of a long work day, is to return to a loving and warm wife whom he can talk to and probably gets some one-on-one doting/cuddling session with. 

Besides this, it seems that we or I will always get upset with him in the mornings of his once-in-a-blue-moon off days. There are bound to be some things that I can get pissed with and I will say or be mean and vent my frustrations at him. And it always ruined our mornings.

But on days/times when it’s just Aloysius and me, I am the endearing wife and the same girl whom he used to date. We can get lovery-dovey and it’s really lovely. I am just-Aloysius’s Yvonne and wife, not Allysa’s Mommy. Allysa’s Mommy is a total meanie to her Daddy. 

This morning, I was mean (again) and said hurtful things to Aloysius. And of course, immediately when I said the “truth” which he wants to hear/know, I just knew “I shouldn’t have said it”. How many times do you ever wish you had bite you tongue before saying the truth? And sometimes, when one wants to hear the truth, are they really ready to accept the truth, with no hard feelings? 

We learnt that in a relationship there should be no secrets. And couples should always remain honest with one another. But then again, I am learning that perhaps, sometimes we must learn to THINK TWICE before we speak. Some things might be (really) better left unsaid especially if it’s nonconstructive remarks.

I read about this story and it brought a lot of hard truth to it. 

There once was man who said nasty things to many others in his village. One day he sadly realized that no one liked him. He went to his chief to ask what he could do to make things right and make people like him again.

The chief said, “Tonight, put a feather in front of everyone’s door that you have said hurtful things to.” So he did just that. The next morning he went back to the chief and asked, “What now?” The chief replied, “Now go and pick all of the feathers up.”

Unfortunately all the feathers had blown away….

Words are like feathers that you cannot pick up or take back.

I am not saying “Honesty might not be the best policy”. But what I am trying to say is, before you master the art of communicating negative remarks with tactfulness, you might just want to rehearse and go through that scenario with your self. Find the best words to communicate your feelings or perhaps, share it with another close friend/relative who can also be your sounding board or advisor. 

Because words can hurt & once said, can never be taken back. 

I just felt so awful on this whole episode. Of course, it made me reflected alot on myself as well - why does it happen, what have I done wrong and can do better. 

I hope this will never happen again.

My Little Housekeeper

Recently, Allysa has been really busy. She has (voluntarily) taken on the daunting task of spot-checking on Mom’s housekeeping skills. 

I wonder who’s her mastermind.... ^^

My Unedited SBA’s Rally Video

Hi guys, this is a very impromptu, raw and unedited Rally video which I just did.

 No rehearsing. No planned dialogue. No make up. No starlish wardrobe. 

Just recorded from my Mac’s webcam.

 Please remember to support us for the Best Family Blog in Singapore Blog Awards 2011. 

Thanks...

(Haa...I think I am beginning to enjoy seeing myself in video. Probably more Vlogs for me in the future.)

For the pro-version of the Rally Video done by the Omy.Sg guys, please click here.

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Tasty Tuesday

I’m not Annabel Karmel nor Rachel Ray. But I do love to cook whenever the mood calls for. But as for the current status, it will have to be "when I have more spare time”.

Right now, being the exclusive butler to my little Mistress aka Allysa “chubby cheeks" Lim, does spur me to start getting creative during meal times (for her).

Currently, Allysa has been having her regular staples of wholemeal bread, hardboiled egg yolks, cheese, pureed pasta and porridge. Yeah I know, not the fanciest or appetite whipping meals. But so far, they have served my little mistress well and thriving. 

So yesterday, out of the blue, I had an urge to whip up something nice and different.

Cheesy-Easy Baby Pasta

 (yeah, it’s sorta corny.)

Spaghetti or any forms of pasta

A slice of cheese

Milk (just a little)

Broccoli florets

Shredded carrot bits

Minced meat 

Bits of white fish

Minced red onion

Saltless Butter

Steps

• Boil the broccoli florets and shredded carrot bits. Once done, set them aside.
• Boil the pasta (to save, you can use the same pot of water). Once done, scoop them up and set them aside. You might want to make sure the pasta is well-cooked and really soft for babies. Puree or cut into bits.
• Heat up the saucepan with the saltless butter.
• Add in the minced red onion and browned them.
• Next, add in the minced pork, precooked veggies, fish and sauteed.
• Follow by the milk and cheese.

• Last but not least, the pasta and ....

Voila!

This is a really easy to prepare recipe made from food that is usually conveniently available in most homes.


Stay tune for more interesting recipes for the hungry tod.

Another tasty recipe of:

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I’ve Been Pinned

Recently, I have jumped on the wagon and joined Pinterest. Now, if you have not heard about this website, you should probably go and check it out. It is a really awesome place where you can just share things that you really like on the web. How cool is this? 

Upon entering Pinterest, it’s like entering a Art Gallery with all beautiful things. Photography, Interior designs, products, fashion, accessories, typography, etc etc...You can find anything here. But all pretty.

It’s also a great place where you can search for inspirations from others for any design projects like home design or wedding events. And if you like what you see, you just have to click on the “repinned” button and it will be pinned onto your board. As simple as that. And ohhh...so highly addictive. I can just spent an afternoon browsing and pinning away. Be warned!

Signing up is  really simple. All you need is to connect it through your twitter or Facebook account. And if you do, please add me at : http://pinterest.com/yvonneyeo/

And have fun pinning away.

P.S: Out of curiosity.... Pinterest = Pin + Interest? 

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I Love ...

{via}


♥ ♥ ♥

To Our Daddy Dearest

Allysa is definitely a daddy girl’s, through and through. Despite me being the main caregiver 24/7, nothing beats the presence of Daddy to my baby girl.

Every morning, Allysa will wake up and touch me to sorta inform me that she is awake. And what happens next? A kiss on Mommy’s cheek? Or a huggie? NAH....She simply looks across my shoulder, flash her megawatt smile and CRAWL across me (YES!! like I’m part of the bed) to get to her favourite Daddy. Well initially, that kind of sucks but now, I’m used to it and not bothered at all. Perhaps, it’s the charm that Daddy exudes that also gotten my baby girl mesmerized too. (hee...)

I can’t say how glad I am that Aloysius is the Daddy of our daughter. At least I know, I have chosen a great man to be her Daddy.

 A Daddy who truly deserves her love and adoration, 

A Daddy who will always be there for her whenever she needs him

with an occasional smashing good time

Or just to simply walk along and guide her through life.

Thanks Hubs for being such a wonderful Daddy! The journey through fatherhood, though seldom mentioned, is never easy as well. I am glad we walk this journey together.

☺

Happy Father’s Day to you, your biggest fans always!

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