#themummydiaries

[dietmumrepeat]

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 An emotional morning sending off my baby to preschool this morning... don’t be fooled by the gorgeous smile... there were a lot of tears 😥😥😥 #one2onedietwithamyandsteve #mumofthree #mumofboys #mumlife #themummydiaries #bossbabe (at The 1:1 Diet with Amy and Steve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEqrYg0BvHj/?igshid=17xuf17zvcv3

[amessinadressblog]

These two || I certainly won't be winning any mother-of-the-year awards any time soon and I sometimes wonder if I have a maternal bone in my body but I think I've clocked up a few mummy points over the past week. I've loved spending some valuable family time together with trips to a theme park, bowling, Harry Potter Studios, the beach and a children's disco. They may be cheeky, they may be daft, they may (occasionally) be annoying but they're mine, they're perfect and I wouldn't change them for the world #eastmidsblogger #mummyblogger #themummydiaries #joyofmotherhood #thehappynow #flashesofdelight #livecolourfully #makemoments #abmhappylife #abmlifeiscolorful #picoftheday #positivevibes #instajoys #inspiremyinstagram #bloggerlife #theblogissue #ukblogger #bloggervibes #thebloggerscircle #thegirlgang #lifestyleblogger #blogandbeyond #theuncoolclub #30plusblogs #liveunscripted #lifethroughalens #reallifeandstyle #thisismylife #honestblogging

[graciouslittlethings]

The Mummy Diaries: That Underwater Feeling

Happy Halloween! Recently times have been really trying for me. Work issues, traffic jams, sharply decreasing milk supply, really late nights and really early mornings. I have to admit that I feel like I’m constantly underwater. Despite all these, I’m still gritting my teeth and hanging on. To motivate myself and other mums who might just be in the same boat, I’m listing down tonight the things which keep me going. 1. P is for Perspective!

I am not going to pretend that I’m all saintly and always appreciative and grateful. I grumble just like any other human being and look enviously at other mothers, who lead seemingly tranquil lives. Well, the best thing about being a breastfeeding mother is that I’ve made many new friends in the mothers’ room at work. Chatting with them often puts things into perspective for me. When they tell me how lucky I am to have my in-laws help take care of Baby Dozer, I know I should thank my lucky stars. When they say how heavy the nursing bags are while squeezing in with the crowd to catch the LRT / train, it makes the traffic jams I go through less significant. Finally, when they tell me how they have to rush back to cook AND do housework, all thoughts of grumbling about the late night laundry fly out of my head. 

2. It’s about discipline

If there’s one thing I learnt from my schooling days when I had to represent my state for competitions, it’s discipline. My parents never let me slack. I had to practise my sports every day and oh, how I really hated those early weekend mornings waking up! I’ve been asked rather frequently ever since I started Gracious Little Things, “How do you manage your workload, work stress and still find time to blog???” Well, there’s no pretty or easy answer to this. It’s simply by not slacking and I have to say (just a little grudgingly), “Yeah, all that discipline has done me some good!” Whatever spare time I have, I devote to Gracious Little Things. The good thing is I really enjoy writing so it doesn’t count as a chore. ;)

3. Priority means Baby Dozer comes first

I have a suspicion that my colleagues still think I’m really free because - guess what? - despite my crazy workload and mounting work issues, I still leave on time (almost) every day! You might remember that many posts ago, I wrote about promising my pregnant self that I would not compromise my baby for my job. Now that it is a peak period for me, I’ve discovered something: when you prioritise really seriously, you tend to get really efficient. And that’s what I do. I do hard prioritisation every morning and settle all the issues which require me to be in the office. I go home on time, tend to Baby Dozer - yes, I still read him his stories and put him to bed - and then pull out my laptop for Unpaid Work Shift #2. 

4. When you think you can, you can

Maybe it’s my work stress. Or maybe I’m just tired. Whatever it is, my breastmilk supply has dropped sharply. It came to a point where I was only expressing one-third (1/3) of what Baby Dozer needed daily and still being pretty chill about it. About 2 weeks ago, I opened my freezer to defrost my stock frozen breastmilk, because that’s what I’ve been doing ever since my supply dropped. Well, that day, my supply wasn’t the only thing that dropped. My jaw dropped to the ground when I realised I had hardly anything left in the freezer. Thanks to my guerilla Mummy-friends who wouldn’t hear anything about me starting Baby Dozer on formula milk, I started an offensive of power pumping twice a day - before starting work and after Baby Dozer has gone to bed. Trust me, it’s CRAZY. What with my work schedule, blogging commitment and fatigue. It’s been nearly 3 weeks now and I’m still chugging along. Never say never. Oh, how’s the supply? It’s actually on the uptrend and doing pretty well! *wink*

5. Cry

Because I’m only human. Because everyone needs a good cry every now and then. There are days when I get so overwhelmed that before I know it, I’m going boo hoo hoo. I also vaguely recall mumbling a lot of nonsense like, “Life’s not fair” and “I can’t take this anymore”. Then, I recall points 1 to 4 above and after calming down, things strangely seem less daunting. What can I say - crying is therapeutic. 

Disclaimer: Crying every day is NOT therapeutic. It’s unhealthy. I’m referring to the occasional letting-go of emotions that’s therapeutic. 

Should you ever hear me go, “Argh, it’s just a bad day!”, please remind me of this post that I wrote once upon a time! Have a wonderful weekend! I’m just looking forward to mine!

If you find Gracious Little Things helpful, like my Facebook page at facebook.com/graciouslittlethings or Instagram at instagram.com/graciouslittlethings to receive updates whenever there’s a new post!

Also, please check out my new venture at facebook.com/littlebabygrains where I sell organic baby rice for your babies suitable from 6 months onwards!

[graciouslittlethings]

The Mummy Diaries: Mummy Confessions

Mothers are very conflicted people. We all love our children to bits and pieces, but I’m sure there are confessions that even the most perfect mum can relate to!

Here are some of mine:

1. Doing the dishes is easier than taking care of a child

When Hubs offers to do the dishes, sometimes, I do a barter trade. “You take care of Baby Dozer and I’ll do the dishes.” Running after an active child, breaking his fall and shielding his knocks is an intense job. Sometimes, just doing the dishes is a whole lot easier. *grin*

2. If I had a choice, I’d read a book

I have a number of favourite pastimes and I confess, there have been more times while I was watching over Baby Dozer that I couldn’t help but dream, now…if only I could read that book.. *eye wanders to the bookshelf* It’s no wonder that Baby Dozer’s nap times are my favourite times of the day. 

3. I used to be really frustrated over night feeds…

For the longest time, there was this teeny weeny bit of resentment inside me over the night feeds. Whenever mothers told me stories of how their babies started sleeping through the night from 3 months onwards, I can’t even begin to describe my feelings - they were pretty nasty feelings. I was upset that I had to be the unlucky one and I was resentful that my definition of a good night was if Baby Dozer woke up once. 

4. …and I dreaded early mornings

As if it wasn’t bad enough that I had to wake up at night to feed Baby Dozer, it sometimes seemed as if he purposely woke up earlier on weekends! Often, while I dragged myself to brush my teeth and then to the kitchen to prepare his meal for the day, I wistfully dreamt of that one beautiful day where I would sleep till 9am, wake up and have a lazy breakfast, followed by coffee and a good book. 

5. Suddenly, a one-person holiday didn’t seem so daunting anymore

I am not very good at going for holidays on my own, but when you’re hard-pressed, you change. I started this personal daydream where I would be by the beachside, reading (again), staring at the ocean, not doing anything, just lazing around. I took my daydream so far that I actually found myself checking out flight tickets (gasp!). No, I haven’t bought that flight ticket yet. 

Don’t get me wrong. Despite all these ‘downs’, motherhood is still the most rewarding and magical experience and I wouldn’t trade it for all the world! 

Have a good weekend and thanks for reading!

If you find Gracious Little Things helpful, like my Facebook page at facebook.com/graciouslittlethings or Instagram at instagram.com/graciouslittlethings to receive updates whenever there’s a new post!

Also, please check out my new venture at facebook.com/littlebabygrains where I sell organic baby rice for your babies suitable from 6 months onwards!

[graciouslittlethings]

The Mummy Diaries: Perfectionist Mum

A couple of years ago, even before I was married, an elderly aunt said this about her daughter, who had just become a mum.

"My daughter is too much of a perfectionist and that’s why she’s so stressed out and tired."

Recently, I’ve come to wonder if my mother and mother-in-law would say the same of me and so, I dedicate today’s post to myself. In fact, I might even print it out and stick it on my wall. 

1. (Organised) mess is best

My head hurts each time I see the house in a messy state. Baby Dozer is a huge contributor and he takes great pains to ensure that the house is at its messiest, especially when we are expecting guests. It’s time for me to accept that babies are messy and pretend I didn’t see the arched eyebrows of my guests as they enter the door. 

Mummy shall: confine all mess to dedicated Baby Dozer zones such as his play yard and the AV room and consider the house to be neat and tidy.

2. Routines are meant to be broken

I admit that I am quite a stickler with Baby Dozer’s routines and often try to follow them as closely as possible even on weekends. This sometimes proves a little challenging, OK, quite challenging especially when we’re out and about. Baby Dozer’s got to have his breakfast at this time, nap this time, fruit this time, etc. and no wonder, I’m mentally exhausted at the end of the day. 

Mummy shall: chill on weekends and go with the flow. Yes, I shall. 

3. Laundry quandary

There are many things that fit into my “This needs to be washed every week.” Well, when you have a domestic helper at home, this isn’t a problem, but without a domestic helper, it’s time to cut some slack. Tired mummy = irritable mummy = unhappy family members. Happy mummy = cheerful mummy = happy family members. 

Mummy shall: reduce the items on her weekly laundry list and pace them out fornightly or longer. It also wouldn’t hurt for Baby Dozer to recycle his pyjamas for an extra night. 

4. This mopping business

…can get a little crazy. Mop floors, mop table tops, mop shelves, mop window grilles - there’s just no end of surfaces to mop. I have wild ambitions of actually mopping all these weekly but really, it’s getting a little too crazy even for the perfectionist mum. 

Mummy shall: close an eye and pretend she didn’t see the dust on the shelves. Non-essential surfaces should at best be a monthly affair.

5. You can’t cook AND vacuum AND clean AND care for babies all at the same time

I made it my life mission to prove this very statement wrong and ended up slipping into exhaustion, not once, not twice but many times! Exhaustion is dangerous. Sometimes it’s not just about sleeping the tiredness away. Exhaustion can lead to long-term sleeping problems and even medical issues. 

Mummy shall: eat out occasionally and graciously accept offers from family members to do the housework. 

Being perfectionist can prove tolling on those around you as well as they try to keep up with your standards. At the end of the day, life is meant to be enjoyed so, Mummy shall learn to enjoy life and cut herself (and everyone else) some slack!

If you find Gracious Little Things helpful, like my Facebook page at facebook.com/graciouslittlethings or Instagram at instagram.com/graciouslittlethings to receive updates whenever there’s a new post!

Also, please check out my new venture at facebook.com/littlebabygrains where I sell organic baby rice for your babies suitable from 6 months onwards!