Why I love Him So

Yue, to Mama who was checking out the diamonds in the display windows of Citigems: "Mama, I will buy these for you."

To Stay At Home or Not To Stay At Home?

The conversation on whether I should opt to be a stay-at-home-mom came up recently between Koppie Papa and myself.

Because Koppie Papa has always advocated that this Mama work, his reply to the question I popped came as a surprise.

Me : “Should I quit my job, then?”

KPP : “Why not?”

We were discussing on his need for increased travelling or even to relocate to Kuala Lumpur because of the boom in his business over there. It was easy, from an economic point of view, to come up with his answer. As long as he can make the equivalent of or more of what I make in my job yearly by pursuing his Malaysian business, it seems only logical that I should quit my job and look after the family full time so he can focus on his Malaysian business.

Alas, while his answer was quick and fast, his stand on the matter did not last beyond 24 hours. He came back from work the next day to announce that he thinks I should continue to work, in case I turn “quirky”, as advised by his business partner.

I laughed his lame excuse off. We did not enter into a deeper discussion there and then since I wasn’t in any situation that was calling for me to make such a decision. Not yet.

But over the past 3 weeks, as I have been seeking God’s answer on a matter very close to my heart, the topic of being a SAHM has also come up in my conversation with Him. I do not yet know what the Lord’s intentions are, but should He call me out of the work force one day, I will obey. Until then, I have no desire to be a SAHM, although I have also just discovered I am not averse to it.

New Teeth

At barely 3 years of age, Yue had already developed 16 cavities on his set of milk teeth.

No thanks to a neighbourhood dentist who gave a wrong diagnosis previously, his teeth continued to rot away since 1+ of age without intervention. It was only when he fell on the toilet bowl one day and chipped his front teeth that Mama decided osteogenesis imperfecta cannot be the case.  Took me a little long to conclude if koppie papa and I both do not have this genetic condition, and no one else on both sides of the families have it, then the dentist must be wrong.

So along to THE paed dentist in Singapore this Mama brought Yue. Indeed, Dr Tan Wee Kiat, Senior Consultant & Head, Paediatric Dentistry Unit, NDC, is the best paed dentist around, if cost is not a big issue. As she put it to Yue during the follow up appointment from the surgery to crown his 4 front teeth and fill the rest of the cavities, “Dr Tan made you handsome again!”.

So what was the problem?

It was actually severe childhood carries. Read more about it here.

According to a report in The Straits Time on 13 Mar, the incidence of dental carries in kids is on the rise. It is known that childhood carries is contagious and if often passed from adult to children. In Yue’s case, since both Mama and Papa do not have any carries, I suspect it could have been passed on from his ex-caregiver. Well, we will never know.

What’s important is that my little boy is now able to flash a row of beautiful white (almost) pearlies when he smiles, and eats much better than before (what we previously thought was picky eating was actually sensitive teeth due to severe enamel erosion!).  Moreover, because the cavities are filled, his permanent teeth underneath are more unlikely to be affected when they start to erupt.

For all these, it’s well worth the $3K I had to spent on the surgery. Every cent.

Maidless

So we went maidless, finally.

It happened a week before Chinese New Year. Admittedly, Koppie Papa was at first quite concerned and did not think it was going to work out. But this Mama was confident.

How has it been since? Well, I would be lying if I say coping without a maid is a breeze. No sane working mother would say that, in any case.

Naturally, without that extra pair of hands, the responsibility to get the household chores done now lie on Koppie Papa’s and my lap. And man being man, it’s not too difficult to guess which of us ends up doing most of them.

Yes, there are now laundry to do almost daily, the floor to be swept and mopped regularly, the toys and books to be picked up from the floor, and the kids to be readied for school every morning. This mama is actually quite proud to say we are coping ok with all these.

If anything, we are very pleased with the peace and privacy that comes without a maid in the house. But the biggest advantage of all must be the kids gaining independence. Just last evening, Yu helped Mama changed the bedsheets and carried them to the washing machine. The wonderful thing was that he offered his help, without being asked!

We have since decided to remain maidless. Although it means having to sacrifice my time and effort to do the chores, I see greater and more important benefits coming out of it.

So for now, this Mama is on a quest to acquire more time and effort saving gadgets and devices for the house. The Irobot Roomba 560 now cleans the house daily after the family leaves for work or school. The next on my list is the Philips Pressurized Steam Generator Iron. Then possibly the Happycall Frying Pan next….

Well, MECHANIZATION! It’s the way to go from now on…

Infinity

One of the sweetest thing Yu has ever told Mama, once he understood the concept of ‘infinity’ : "Mama, if I could count to infinity, I will give you infinity number of kisses."

Now, Koppie Papa, can you beat that?

Long Distance Romance

Yu, to Mama over the phone when Mama was in Budapest last week, "Mama, I miss you in the mornings..and in the afternoons and in the nights."

Moving On

This will be my last post from my office Lotus Notes email. I am moving on, after 9.5 years with the company.

While I have to admit the push factor is a strong contributor to my decision, I also firmly belief it’s all in God’s will. From going for the interview, to accepting the job offer, I’ve been granted with a deep sense of peace which can only come from the Lord.

This contrast from the 2 other near-job offers I had previously.

With the first one, strangely, I did not like the working hours and the office location. It surprised myself as I have always thought such considerations were only of concern to people of entry level positions. But it did matter to me because having to start work too early means I would then have to rush my kids through the morning routine, and perhaps not be able to drop Yu off at school personally. Next.

The second near-offer was highly tempting. Not only was it a career advancement (a regional marketing role), it was also in the very "sexy" business of asthetic pharmaceuticals. But it had one drawback, and that was the amount of travelling I would have to do. Although Koppie Papa was supportive, I knew where my priorities were. Being present for my family was of utmost importance to me. So, after 3 rounds of interviews, I had to say "no" to the headhunter.

Then came the 3rd job opportunity, which I had little interest in at first. But after one round of face-to-face interview, the interest level went up. It fitted the bill of what I was looking for – no travelling, pro-family workplace and a good pay package – and MORE! I can only say the Lord has been good & faithful, as always!!!

So here I am now, serving my 3 weeks notice with the present company. It’s the festive season, with hardly any people or action going on in the office. A good time to chart directions for myself for the coming year. It will be truely New Year, New Start for me when 2011 begins. I can’t wait.