My 10th Year Blogging Anniversary

When I got pregnant and became a mother at 26 years old, I was the only one my age who was. With no one to advise me on motherhood, I started reading books and blogs religiously, learning everything I can about taking care of a baby. 

The first 6 months flew by in a blur and when I looked back, I could hardly remember what happened. It was then that I felt God speaking to me to start a blog. He knows that I loved to pen down my thoughts (I've been doing it since Secondary 1 and still have my diaries 😄) so a blog is a great way to document my motherhood journey. It was and still is the toughest but most rewarding job I've ever done! 😄

I called my blog MadPsychMum: Mad, my nickname since I was little, Psych because I am a psychologist and Mum because that's my new identity and what I will be mainly writing about in this blog. 

I designed my very first blog header myself and chose the theme 'University of Motherhood' as I was still in graduate school at NUS when I became a mum and difficult as graduate school was, I felt that I had studied harder for the motherhood 'exam'. It is also an exam that I will keep taking forever! 

Drew the pregnant figure under the tree myself and edited the header using simple 'Paint' tool 😂

My first ever post was shared on 5 Dec 2010, which lists the reasons why I decided to start a blog. Ten years later, I'm still blogging for the very same reason: to document the precious memories for my kids so that we can all reminisce about them when they are all grown up! 

My blog header evolved into this Fuschia pink background, my favourite colour! 

As I wrote about motherhood and things that I liked, I also started writing about my travels. My super detailed blog posts on our trip to Taipei in 2011 was the first to give me a reputation as a travel parent blogger who could provide fellow parents with very detailed itineraries that they could use for their trips. 

I really, really love travelling and have travelled to so many countries and meticulously documented all of them because I love to share the research I have done to put my itineraries together (most of them from scratch!). I have gotten so many emails from readers who told me that they just printed and followed my itinerary and had a really enjoyable, carefree trip! That really kept me motivated to keep writing, even in this pandemic, with the hopes that one day the posts will be helpful. 

Even if not, the posts remind me of the goodness of God! I am well aware that every trip is a blessing and I will never take any of them for granted! 

I changed the theme of my blog to 'University of Motherhood and Travel' since I was blogging about my travels so often! 

Other than travels, I'm also most known for my nursing room review, which (again) meticulously documents many of the nursing rooms that I have visited. 

When I first started blogging 10 years ago, there was no page as comprehensive as mine. This list of nursing rooms started out as a physical list in my notebook (I can never remember the locations of all the nursing rooms!), which later became a page in my blog because it was simply easier to refer to! 

I've been very previleged to have appeared in the newspapers twice: on The New Paper in May 2011 and on The Straits Times in April 2013!

I was featured due to my nursing room review page! 😄

I was also a finalist of the Singapore Blog Awards for Best Parenting Blog!

Finally, even though my Fun in Singapore page may not be as comprehensive as other parent bloggers, I continue to update it because I love to have fun! I would like my kids to know that their mummy loves to bring them to play! People do tell me that the page was helpful to them, and that really encourages me! 

My greatest motivation for blogging is my kids, all 3 of them! 

Every time I read about kids who had lost their mums I feel so sad and wonder what it will be like if the kids had to grow up without having known me? I tell myself, at least with this blog, they will know who I am, what I love and what I believe in. 

Or who knows, one day I might get dementia and need this blog to remember all the amazing things I had forgotten.

For these reasons, I will continue to blog! If you have been reading my blog, whether as a long time follower since 2010 or a new reader, I want to thank you sincerely for reading my blog! Your support has kept me going for 10 years! 😊

The Blog and I are One

When I first started my blog, I had no idea what I wanted to focus on exactly. At first it was blogging about my life as a young (and very newbie) mother, which later progressed to blogging on whatever I thought was popular. I even tried to include things that were never my strength (coming up with recipes for example! What was I thinking?!) just to see if it will work or not (of course it didn't but hey, A for effort ya?).

Thanks to a group of close blogging friends (you know who you are), I have gotten a lot of constructive feedback and began to define who I am as a blogger as time progressed.

What am I most well-known for?

1) My review of 120 nursing rooms in Singapore and overseas
This was, and still is, my proudest accomplishment! But I couldn't have done it without the help of my family.

2) My list of all my incredibly detailed travel itineraries
I'm also very proud of this list as I've put together a lot of the itineraries myself after many months of research, consultation with experts and planning.

3) My post on the Top 10 Worst Names to Name Your Baby
This used to be my most popular post of all time. I wrote it because I cannot imagine people calling their kids all sorts of strange names! Two years later I came up with the sequel (i.e. my linky on Baby Names), which you might wanna read too =)

Less well-known for but equally defines who I am:

1) My graduate research on pediatric cancer
2) My love of art and scrapbooking
3) Our visits to kid-friendly playgrounds
4) My fixation on all thing neat and organised!

But if you were to ask me to summarise what my blog is about, it's truly all in its name:
Mad = My nickname, my beliefs, my passions, my interests, my loves.
Psych = My background, my knowledge, my education, my career.
Mum = My parenting journey, my kids, my struggles, my dream-come-true, my purpose.

Simply put, my blog is me and I am my blog.

Summary of MadPsychMum

As I reviewed my blog at the beginning of the year, I decided that I would focus specifically on four of the above topics this year:

1) Breastfeeding 
Because I'm going through the whole process of painful nipples, engorgement and mastitis again with Baby Boy. It is this reason that I've gotten 24 mums to hop onto the "Why I Breastfed For" blog train and share their unique breastfeeding stories =)

2) Travel
Because I already have four major overseas trips planned for the first half of the year, with another two more in the works for the end of the year (and this is not inclusive of another Batam trip)! Travelling is my life and it's also one of the reasons why I'm a FTWM. Will be updating my travel page as we go along =)

3) Parenting 
Because I'm a parent? *laughs*

But seriously, my girl has been going through one of those Terrible Three phases and man, has she been testing my patience! And my creativity in coming up with all sorts of consequences for her bad behaviour *sigh*

4) Weight Loss
Because people like me do not magically lose the pregnancy weight by coughing.. *ahem*. See? Still there. T_T

What do you like about my blog?
What else do you think I should also focus on this year?

Linking Up With:

The Colourful 60s

3 Reasons Why I Love the 60s:

1) The Fashion

Photo credit: lobstar28 via photopin cc

Love the mod fashion that featured bold colours (which is soo me) and geometric shapes and patterns =)

2) Walt Disney's Pinocchio

Photo credit: Jacob Whittaker via photopin cc

Definitely one of my favourite Walt Disney classics. Need I say more?

3) The Bright Psychedelic Colours!

Photo credit: Pink Ponk via photopin cc

I'm not afraid of colour so the crazy colours of the 60s are so my cup of tea =)

What do you love about the 60s?


P.S: Remember to vote for us for the Best Family Blog of the Singapore Blog Awards 2013! You can vote once everyday! Thanks for the support! =)

We Are a Finalist of the Singapore Blog Awards 2013!

This came as a huge surprise!

We made it to the TOP 10 in the Best Family Blog category of the Singapore Blog Awards 2013! O.M.G!

We couldn't have done it without you, thank you for your support! =)

Now if you reallly love me and realllllly want to support me (pretty please!), you can help by VOTING for me!

Click here to VOTE!

Online voting by the public constitutes 30% of the total score, so I need your votes!!

You can vote once DAILY, so don't forget to come back and vote again. But no matter whether you vote once or twice, you should know that I'd still love you very much =)

Once again, THANKS SO MUCH for ALL YOUR SUPPORT!! ^_^

Featured on The Straits Times!

My crazy obsession with reviewing nursing rooms was featured on our local newspaper, The Straits Times today!

Source: The Straits Times (5th April 2013)

Photo Credit: Adalia Tan

In the wake of possible revisions to the building code to make nursing rooms compulsory in all public buildings such as malls and sports complexes, there may definitely be more than enough nursing rooms to fuel my obsession ;P

Many thanks to Joanna and Sue-Ann for the great write up and to Seng Kim for the very pretty photo of my little girl and me.

Thanks to my awesome family, whom I have dragged with me on numerous occasions to review the nursing rooms during our shopping trips.

Thanks also to my friends, colleagues, fellow mum bloggers and readers for all your support and encouragement that you have given me. Love you guys =)

Ten Thanksgivings for 2012

We were in the depths of a dark winter in 2011, which was the worst year we've gone through together since our wedding day. The hubby lost his beloved father and grandfather while I completed my studies but was still jobless. And when I eventually found one, it wasn't even a permanent position! It wasn't easy having to deal with "well meaning" comments from people on why I was still not working and how "lucky" I was to be able to stay at home and be a "tai tai". I smiled and do admit that it was actually quite relaxing going out for high tea everyday but truthfully, I hated the financial dependence. Deep down, I knew that I won't do very well as a SAHM.

And then one day in church, pastor preached that there is a season for everything. If you're in winter today, hold fast to your faith for spring is coming! We dug out whatever little faith that we had left and trusted in the Lord for a breakthrough. And true to His Word, spring finally arrived.. in the year 2012!

And thus I have much to thank God for, in this year of financial breakthroughs and blessing =)

#1: Officially Graduated with My Masters Degree

NUS Commencement 2012

After many years of toil and heartache, I've finally finished my graduate studies (well.. for now at least.. until I apply for my further studies in future). I never thought I would make it to the end but by the grace of God, I did! =)

#2: Became a Psychologist
It's one thing to get a good job but it's another thing to get a job that's relevant to what you spent years in college studying! I really like what I do and believe with all my heart that God has placed me here for a purpose.

I also thank God for the amazing bosses and colleagues that I work with!

Taken at our cycling outing

It's really a joy to go to work everyday and hang out with these folks who genuinely celebrate your successes and cheer you up when you're cranky! It really doesn't get better than this =)

#3: Singapore Mom Bloggers (SMB)
This was also the year that our secret Facebook group was formed! It was a gathering of like-minded mothers who banded together online, exchanging tips and sharing experiences. Perhaps it was the fact that we were not only mothers but also mothers who were willing to share our lives publicly on our blogs that caused us to click with each other immediately.

One of our SMB lunches @ 313 Marche

When we finally met at regular SMB lunches throughout the year, there were endless things to talk about. Although I was meeting many of the mothers for the first time, it felt like I already know them!

Our only regret is that we should have this group earlier when we were all struggling as new mothers, thinking we were alone in this world when in actual fact, we were not! I'm so thankful for the encouragement and support that they've given me this year and am looking forward to greater things ahead for us next year! =)

#4: Greater Heights in Blogging
I've finally decided to get my own domain name this year and managed to increase my Alexa ranking from 27 million to the top 1.1 million sites in the world =)

My blog also reached new heights this year, with the assistance of my blog agent. She secured many sponsored campaigns for us and taught us how to work with PR companies such that it is beneficial to both parties. The list of campaigns that I've done continues to grow, with the most significant being Lifebuoy and Legoland Malaysia, and for that, I'm thankful.

We also have the privilege of being featured on an advertisement board in United Square as one of the reviewers who rated their nursing room as one of the best in Singapore.

Hubby & Girlee were excited to see their faces on the poster

It was a proud moment for me as it's the first time my work is being printed on a poster! Looking forward to greater things for this blog in the year ahead! =)

#5: Reviewed 85 Nursing Rooms!
One of the proudest achievements of my blog is my comprehensive list of nursing rooms both in Singapore and overseas. Although my nursing room search was halted when I started work, I've still managed to update the page at least once a month. As of today, I've reviewed 85 nursing rooms and counting! =)

#6: Removed All of My Wisdom Teeth
On a personal level, I'm proud to say that I faced my fears and surgically removed all four of my wisdom teeth, thankfully with no complications! I'd never have to worry about them ever again! *cheers*

#7: Mummy Time
With my new found financial independence this year, I was able to afford facial and manicure packages that I've always needed/wanted. And I can find time to do them, thanks to an understanding mum-in-law and hubby (although they do complain if I overdo it.. understandably.. *laughs*). This was also the year that I watched my first musical with my sister and enjoyed myself thoroughly =)

#8: Overseas Trips
This year we've been to four countries in total!

Left to right from top left: 1) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 2) Shenzhen, China;
3) Bangkok, Thailand & 4) Hokkaido, Japan

Going to Japan has always been my teenage dream so to finally be able to fulfill it was literally a dream come true! I'm also thankful for the couple time that we had in 2 of the 4 trips where we travelled just the two of us. It was a much needed time of reconnecting and relaxation!

I'm looking forward to our trips next year, which we are already in the midst of planning! The hubby and I live for our travels =)

#9: Suitable School for My Girl

Playing and learning in school

The hunt for a suitable preschool for her was not easy so when I found it, it took another load off my mind. Thankfully, my girl was able to adapt well to her new school and actually learnt a lot from her teachers. She would be leaving this school soon as I managed to enroll her in a childcare just across the road. Hopefully she will adapt just as well as she does now *fingers crossed*.

#10: A Healthy Little Girl
Lastly, I am thankful to God for the growth of my baby girl. She grew from a chubby, babbling baby to an active and talkative toddler! Her vocabulary is ever expanding and she speaks in paragraphs, not sentences! I'm amazed at how fast she picks up the lyrics of songs (ahh.. just like her mummy indeed) and how she imitates me almost perfectly! Words cannot express how thankful I am to God everyday for blessing me with such a beautiful girl =)

It's been an awesome 2012 but I believe that greater things are ahead for us. Here's to a bigger and better 2013! *cheers*

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

May the Lord be with you in everything that you do =)

Linking Up With:

Juggling Work and Family

I always tell people that I have 2 full-time and 1 part-time job.

Being a psychologist and a mom are my full-time jobs while blogging is part-time. And as my friend's wedding approaches in January, I also have to add "wedding decorator" to my portfolio of things to do!

It can get really daunting being a full-time working mum (FTWM) and maintaining a blog, which looks easy but a lot of time and effort have been put into it! We have to think of, write and edit the content, edit and upload the photos, publish the post and then do it again after 3 days (I usually blog every 2-4 days to keep my blog going).. it's hard work!

I found it easier to maintain a blog when I was a stay-at-home mum (SAHM) but now that I have started work, it has been a real challenge to do so! Case in point, this post has been sitting in my drafts for almost 2 months before I finally got down to publishing it!

So it was to my surprise that I've been asked many times,
"How do you manage to balance work, family and blogging so well?! What's your secret?"

Well firstly, I don't think I'm an expert on this at all! There are many mothers out there who are able to juggle much more things than I can and I'm still learning from them.

But what I can share are tips I've learnt that seem to work for me so I hope it will be of help to you too =)

1) See it as a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Some people overly push themselves at work, working overtime everyday just so they can earn their 1st million at a particular age and then retire early. But my question is, retire already then what?

It's not a sprint. Our lives are a marathon so we need to learn how to pace ourselves! Stop and catch your breath when u need to and then pick up pace again. Then you are able to keep going and going. There is no reason why you can't earn your 1st million a little later, you know =)

The hubby and I try to go overseas 2-4 times a year! This is so that we can have something to look forward to and thus have more motivation at work (you need money to travel! *laughs*). We can connect with each other again and take a breather in a foreign land.

2) Ask for Help

Don't be afraid to ask for help! If you need a domestic helper, you need one. If you need your mom to help pick up the kids from school, just ask (very, very nicely!). You'll be surprised how a little help can go a long way! =)

I'm very lucky that I have an awesome mum-in-law who is my girl's primary caregiver.

My mum-in-law and her precious granddaughter

I never have to worry about my daughter when I'm at work as she is well taken care of. My mum-in-law even willingly looks after her in the evenings when I need to go for a mani-pedi / facial to relax! *grin*

The trade-off is of course my girl being more attached to her than me! But then, children can have more than one attachment figure so I'm alright with that =)

3) Lower Your Expectations

So what if your house is not dirt-free or that your kid eats non-organic food? Relax! Take a deep breath and let go.

This also means not being uptight with the people helping to care for your child. Your mum dresses your child in outdated-looking clothes that you don't approve of? Close one eye and pretend you didn't see. Your kids do not need to look perfect all. the. time.

You don't always have to be a Supermom. Until you stop judging or comparing yourself with your high-achieving friends/neighbors/relatives, you'll never enjoy what you are doing.

Yes, I'm preaching to myself too *laughs*

4) Have a Purpose

What you do must mean something to you otherwise you won't keep at it for long!

For me personally, I get satisfaction at work helping children who are abused and neglected as well as at home watching my girl grow up. I also love blogging because it's a way of sharing with others the lessons I've learnt and being a blessing. This is why I try to do it all, because I see the point in doing what I do! =)

5) Have Faith in God

At the Center of it All

Even if you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel or the purpose in what you are doing, have faith that God has planned for you to be where you are and that one day, you will finally understand your purpose.

Have faith that when you are hard at work, God is taking care of your children. Have faith that when you have done everything that you possibly can, God will take care of the rest.

Let's keep on running this race together, one step at a time! =)

It Finally Happened to Me

You know how sometimes bloggers would complain about not having time to blog and I used to brush it off, proud that I never went more than 3 or 4 days without blogging?

And then I went to work full-time. And got a part-time job as a lecturer at a private university. And a job as a private tutor (short-term) for an undergraduate student (sort of regretted doing it). And then there is blogging, which is totally a part-time job considering all the hours we put in to write posts and edit the photos.

Between spending time with my girl, working full-time in the day and part-time at night, I've had almost no time left over to do much else.

I know, I shouldn't be complaining since I'm earning good money but it can really be tiring.

So I took time off to extract my wisdom tooth, thinking that that will give me a whole week of catching up with blogging and crafting but between suffering the immense pain and trying to distract myself by sleeping or watching How I Met Your Mother, I didn't have much time to do much at all. In fact, when I looked back, I really didn't feel like I accomplished much or rested well at all.

You know what I need? I need to stay home and do nothing but paint or craft. And catch up on my Gossip Girl or Grey's Anatomy.

I wish...

Disney Junior Bloggers Event

I was invited to attend the Disney Junior parent bloggers event held yesterday at Hatched on Evans Road.

Disney Junior Blogger Event @ Hatched, Evans Lodge

The well-known and beloved Playhouse Disney would be no more and in its place, it would be Disney Junior! Nancy Kanter, the Senior Vice President of Original Programming and General Manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, was at the event to introduce Disney Junior as well as all the new shows that are coming up.

Nancy Kanter making her presentation

Nancy explained that Disney wanted to expand their preschool channel to incorporate children from 2-7 years old instead of the previous 2-5 years old. They also wanted to create shows that both the parents and the children are interested to watch together. I already like to watch certain shows like Special Agent Oso and Chuggington with Girlee so this was exciting for me (you know I'm a hard-core Disney fan). And yes, baby girl has already started watching Playhouse Disney and CBeebies. Baby TV was so yesterday for her 4 months ago (she refused to even look at it, I have no idea why -_-)

The new shows to watch out for are Jake and the Neverland Pirates, which is premiering in July together with Disney Junior, and Doc McStuffins and Sofia The First, which would be premiering next year. I'm looking forward to Sofia The First as Sofia might probably be the next princess to be added to the Disney Princesses (which I have been a fan of since primary school). By then baby girl would be older and would be able to watch it with me =)

Anyway after the presentation, it was time for lunch, which was prepared by Hatched and sponsored by Disney Junior.

Anti-clockwise from top: Hatched's menu, Baked dory & waffles

For starters, we had omelette that was really tasty! I fed some to Girlee and she nodded her head vigorously in approval. Also had Dory for mains and some nice waffles for dessert with English Breakfast tea. Yum! Girlee loved everything I put in her mouth (especially the waffles and strawberry).

She's such an angel at feeding time =)

Girlee and Me

I thoroughly enjoyed my first blogger event where I got to meet the nice people at Disney Junior and other mom bloggers, some who I got to know for the first time and others whose blogs I have been following but have never met in real life. It was a great eye-opener! Also loved the goody bag that Disney Junior gave us, which included a Mickey Mouse soft toy and Disney Junior thumbdrive.

Looking forward to more to come =)


Disclosure: An invitation to this event was received from Disney Junior Asia. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

Featured on The New Paper!

I have the awesome previlege of being featured on our local newspaper The New Paper (TNP) today!

Publication courtesy of Daphne

My little segment feature on TNP

Many thanks to Jennifer from TNP for the interview and feature. And also a big thank you to all my loyal readers and fans of my baby girl. I really appreciate all your support and lovely compliments =)

The Versatile Blogger Award

I have no idea what this means but I just got awarded The Versatile Blogger Award from Velle at The Yummy Mummy Train.

If I'm not wrong, this is an award that is passed from one blogger to another in order to recognise and appreciate one another for our passion for blogging. So although there is no authority behind it whatsoever, at least you know that people, even strangers, are reading your blog and liking it =)

So as part of accepting this award, I'm required to tell you 7 things about myself:

1) I absolutely adore the colour pink!

2) I'm super-duper Pro-Breastfeeding.
I believe in 'God-made' rather than man-made. Doesn't mean I judge mothers who don't breastfeed for whatever personal reasons as we all know mothers only want the best for their kids. It's just like we still eat non-organic food even though we know organic is better. Sometimes ideal is just not possible in reality. But the bottomline is, if you can, you really really should! =)

3) I love puzzles and detective stuff (so what if I like Tin Tin?)

4) I love collecting stuff!
I have a collection of boardgames, snowglobes, Baby Blues comic books, keychains and pins from all over the world, notebooks, stickers of all the countries I had visited, etc. (Oh goodness, I sound like a hoarder!)

5) I'm a super-duper organised neat freak.
My books are lined alphabetically according to height, type. My comics are arranged numerically. My clothes are arranged by type and colour (of the rainbow that is). Everything has a place. You move/touch my stuff and I will know it! I absolutely can't stand a picture frame that is hung crooked. Sometimes I pack my things so well that I can't even find them. Haha. Drives the hubby crazy but that is just me.

6) I have no other musical talent except for singing (and I can hold a tune pretty well). But musical instruments? God did not gift me in that department. And to be sure I did try every other musical instrument you can name, piano, organ, violin, guitar, drums, trombone and even the harmonica, but it all did not end well. The hubby is the same. I'm now crossing my fingers that my baby won't be!

7) Finally, I love traveling!
We do it at least twice a year as you can see on my travel page :))

Ok now I'm supposed to pass along the award to other bloggers, but I think most of the bloggers I love already have very accomplished blogs so I'm not even sure they would give a damn whether or not I give this award to them. So what I'm going to do instead is just to list them here and let their blog owners decide if they wanna accept the award or not =)

1) Mother, Inc
2) Edunloaded
3) Beadsyy's Diary
4) Mum in the Making
5) Sanses
6) A Dance for Five
7) A Dollop of Me

(Note: If you choose to accept the award, just copy the above image, link me in an original post, write down 7 things about yourself and pass the award along to other deserving blogs)

Go check them out if you can =)

A Visit to the Hospital

My dad-in-law fainted last Friday at home. He was sent to the hospital on an ambulance by my worried mum-in-law and brother-in-law. Apparently he claimed that he took a nap, but they were afraid it was a stroke or a heart attack. The doctors took a scan of his brain to be sure and thankfully it was not a stroke. He's actually feeling fine already but the doctors wanna keep him there so that they could be 100% sure.

We knew he would really miss his granddaughter so we brought baby J to visit him even though she was having a slight flu. The hubby said he conducts testing on the air in the hospital all the time (hubby's a microbiologist) and the filter there is pretty good at clearing the air of bacteria so it's fine as long as we don't stay too long.

Baby J & 爷爷 (paternal granddad)

He was obviously uber happy to see her although he kept telling us to bring her home as she was having the flu. He said he would chase the doctors to let him go home earlier so that he could be with her at home. Hopefully he'll be discharged by tomorrow.

P.S. If you want exposure for your products, you should seriously check out what's available and shoot me a mail. You can take it as contributing to a struggling SAHM (Stay At Home Mum) whose entire household of five is dependent on a single income. Or as a contribution to my DSLR fund as I will be using the money to buy a higher resolution camera and improve the quality of pictures that you see in this blog =)

UPDATE: Dad-in-law was discharged yesterday (22nd Mar). Thanks to all for your love and concern! =)

Crazy New Layout, Crazy Hectic Month

One fine day I suddenly decided that I have had enough of my ugly blog header. So I set about constructing a blog header from scratch based on this idealistic idea I had in my mind. I wanted to draw one from scratch but then realised it would take too much time. So I copied a design that I had previously drawn and edited it by adding a tummy so the babe would look more like a mummy.

I know it's hard to believe but yes, I drew this =)

Added words and color and voila! A blog header!

And then I was like, "Oh man, I think the header doesn't really go well with the rest of my template. Why don't I get a brand new template?" So I did. And forgot to save the previous template (-_-"). I realised to my horror I have to reinstall all the other widgets that I had previously installed all over again. And now the 'comments' link doesn't look right. I swear I nearly tore my hair out.

Anyway, this time I saved all the templates. Wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Seriously, I should have just kept it the way it was *sigh*.

The work on this new layout had taken away precious time that I should be using to re-write my thesis introduction, which is due on 24th Jan. OMG I have to get to work! *panicking*

(I know many of you don't really know what is it I do and I promise I will talk about it in another post, once I have met my deadline, so watch out for it!)

In other news, congratulations to Mr & Mrs G on the birth of their baby boy N! (^-^)

We were supposed to visit them at KKH but our friend E was still weak from the C-section and we didn't want to overwhelm her. Decided that we'll visit them at their home after her discharge. Was so looking forward to see Baby N though. I guess the next time I see him will be after my Taiwan trip hopefully before Chinese New Year.

Yes, I am going to Taiwan. Yes another trip overseas. And yes without my baby. And yes, I know it clashes with so many things that I have to do but we booked it way in advance before I knew I had to meet those deadlines. But I am looking forward to seeing my dad, who works in China full-time so we hardly see him. This trip is therefore bitter-sweet.

Sorry, I hardly ramble so much but have been feeling the stress recently. Ok enough talk, back to my writing and editing. Oh God please help me!

A Blog on the Lessons on Mothering

Since the birth of my baby girl (who's now 5 months old and weighing at least 9 kg!), I have been a reader of several blogs written by daddy and mummy bloggers eager to share their parenting experience and tips. Being very inspired by them to keep a log of my own experiences and memories, I decided to start a blog to document the growth of my baby girl and the lessons I have learnt in the School of Parenting.

To be honest, it was a long decision making process. I deliberated and hesitated for what seems like a very simple thing! Yes, that's me.. Ms Take-forever-to-decide-whether-to-buy-a-$10-item. To be fair, I really did not want to start a blog only to abandon it after a week. I wanted to be sure I could keep it going for as long as I could. So anyway, to convince myself, I came up with a list of why I should keep a blog:

1) For Memories

I am a follower of Jaime Teo's blog and I remember in one of her posts, she mentioned the amazing power (good or bad) of post-natal amnesia. After just 4 months, she couldn't believe that she is actually the mother of a baby girl. Reflecting on my own experience with my own Baby J, I sometimes feel the same way too! Pregnancy nausea and labour pains seem so far away (well, most of the time anyway). Experts say it's your body's way of coping and nature's way of ensuring that you are motivated to continue to pro-create. Let's face it, some deliveries are so traumatic that if God didn't wire our bodies to 'forget' the experience, no sane woman will put herself through it again!

So, before I go into a total "omg, I love being pregnant, let's do it again" mode, this blog will serve as a nice reminder of what the whole process really entails.

2) For Sharing of Ideas and Experiences

I am a HUGE fan of Baby Blues and in one of their earliest strips, an interesting conversation between Wanda (the mother) and Darryl (the father) went like this:

Wanda (reading from a parenting book): "Wow! According to this, babies learn more in the first year of life than they do the rest of their lives!"
Darryl (thinking back on their lives after baby): "So do parents."

How true! We are suddenly thrown into a world of breastfeeding, burping, learning to interpret the meaning of our baby's cries, bathing, changing diapers, dealing with fever, diaper rash, getting the baby to sleep and so much more! Breastfeeding itself is an art that requires skill like how an ice-skater masters ice-skating. The amount of time I spent reading and reading and reading is infinitely more than what I do in university. It's non-stop hands on learning that you can only get in the University of Motherhood (this explains the theme of my blog by the way). Hence, this blog is a great way to share ideas and experiences between parents or parents-to-be =)

3) For ranting

Every mother has one of those days. When you've had a lack of sleep and you're tired, cranky and irritated, you tend to need to vent your frustrations somewhere. Let's face it, a blog is a better somewhere than your spouse isn't it? Unless the ranting is about your spouse... then well... I guess that's different. =)

That's all the points I got for now. I guess three important reasons is reason enough.

I will be updating this blog on other mothering stuff like breastfeeding, immunisations, solid foods, etc. Oh, and of course more and more absolutely cute and irresistable pictures of my baby girl (which was one of the demands enforced by her Yiyi, my sister).

Keep checking back when you can! Thanks for reading =)