its friday already..and its the last week of january 09..time flies..and yet we are still doing the same things day by day. Last week, we celebrated MD birthday..had a nice dinner at S*ecret R*ecipe..on me of course ;o).. Then did some window shopping..MD still havent decided what he wants for his birthday..better be quick daddy..you're running out of time..heheh.

February will be my Hafeez birthday. He's turning 2 on the 20th..Speaking of 2...is he into the "teribble two" phase?... He definitely getting there i guess..dah makin pandai in making himself "the boss". Last nite, when everyone else was trying to sleep...he on the other hand was still jumping up and down..on his sister and brother..after few warnings ...i quickly catched him and open the door...and yeah..who's the boss now...!!Finally everyone in peace...

Kakak..has gone up another level in her Kumon. Well done dear. She was so excited about it and i hope she will continue to do well. She told me that her ustazah choose her to enter a "reading quran and singing (nasyid kut)" competition..She loves taking part in competition and always wants to win..very competitive anak dara sorang ni...kerja nak menang je..

Haaziq came home from kindy yesterday with smiley face...am going to a water park next week!! errr..who said so? teacher...all the 6 yrs old kids will go to water park..but..you're not 6 yet..you're still 5...saje ja mengusik hehehh.. bergaduh2 la on the way home..ok..if u r 6 or going to be 6..then u must act like a 6 yrs old boy..no more crying over toys that Hafeez took from you etc..mama ambik peluang la nak suruh macam2 ..Ok mama...so the whole day and maybe whole week..mama will play the 6yrs old card game...;o)...

by the way..think i need to get some facial la...my face is so kusam..hmmm

Flawed & fabulous moms

i dont remember where i read this article..i've had it for quite some time in my folders...its a good one to read..whenever you're feeling down with yourself..or whenever you need someone to tell you that you are doing fine..infact a very well done job with your kids...enjoy and have a good weekend everyone...

A good mother… What does it really mean? This phrase itself sparks enthusiasm, hope, the glow of positive intentions. After all, we moms by our very nature are driven to do right by our kids.

So what is a "good mother" — how much flexibility have we got in there? Is there an official scorecard? Am I "the best mom I can be"? Raising kids isn't like trying to make a 4.0 or win a race. Unfortunately, in too many minds "good mother" means "perfect mother”. There's a lot of pressure to have your child be exposed to as many learning and growth opportunities as possible — make them a good child by being a good parent. It is unrealistic to think that you can work full time and at the same time spend lots of quality time with your kid, birthday parties, and sports games, cook healthy dinners and help them with homework. Whatever you're doing, it feels like it is still not enough.

As our society becomes more child-centred, parents feel more and more in the service of their children — and more pressured to do everything right. There's a pervasive sense of blame that tells us, no matter how your kid turns out, all his flaws point back to you: The wrong kind of discipline, the wrong foods, and the wrong reading materials, even what you eat during pregnancy will affect your child. Is it any wonder why we want to be "perfect"? We want to stay off the firing range. There's also a sense that modern life is competitive, expensive, and more difficult and we have to give our kids every advantage to succeed. So is it any wonder that more and more experts are weighing in on exactly the right way to parenting — and yupp..we're eating it up.

It's not just external forces putting pressure on moms, though. Unfortunately, we also constantly criticized and judge each other. Moms who work look down on moms who don't and vice versa. I heard people saying, “Why didn't you breastfeed longer?” “Why is he in day care already?” These kinds of questions will never stop. Why this, why that! As hard as it looks, we actually need to appreciate people's different ways of raising their kids. You have to do what is true to your heart, and that is good parenting. Everyone will have opinions on what is right and wrong, and there's nothing to say what you're doing is right or wrong, but we're all giving it our best. We've got to lighten up on ourselves.

Many moms feel guilty about taking time for themselves. But moms do need breaks! We need to nurture ourselves so that we can be better moms. Being a good mother also means taking care of yourself so you can give more of yourself to your children.
Indeed, it won't actually do your kids any good if you're stressed about being the perfect parent.

Just remember:
-We all have guilt — just don't let it take hold.
-Sharing makes you realize you're not alone. Seek out support whenever needed.
-Your instincts are just fine. Good parenting comes from the heart and gut.
- Parenting is a learning process.
-Taking care of yourself is important. "Do one thing each day that nurtures you, even if it's only for a few minutes.
- You are doing your best and God willing, your kids will be okay too!

P.S.: Parenting advice books can be a wonderful resource — if you don't take them too seriously ;o)

his pride and joy

...his very first car; red honda civic coupe.

Banyak berjasa jugak kereta merah ni..it took us to so many memorable places..threfore it was kindda sad to part from it..but cant afford to bring it home at that time..He had to let it go before we left Boston..

RC car..his first love ...if i'm not mistaken this is his first RC..and then many more to come after that. Used to spend hours and hours "membelek" his toys..

when we were in South Africa..he tried RC plane..bought two of them..and then he bought RC helicopter...

but now he's been so busy with works n kids.., all the toys are left inside the store room...maybe one day..the kids can play them??..

helluuu..anybody home? home???

Agak lama tak meng"update" kan blog ni..sometimes i wonder if there are any readers stopping by..no need to give any reasons why its been a lonnng time...coz it just same ol same ol reasons...but am here now...and hope this spirit will last long...where have i been? no where. Its just that since joining FB and due to high demand at home..i simply cant find enough time to sit down and just write. I envy those bloggers who writes regulary without fail...ada ja idea. Most of my bloggers friends pun dah slowing down with their entries..semuanya terjangkit penyakit FB la...
Ok...today is MD's birthday. He's 34 today yeay! I'm still thinking what to get for him.. ( he's away in Beijing till Wednesday..)..i bought him a watch the fisrt time we celebrate his birthday together, followed with...hmm i simply cant remember ( sign of aging..huhuhu)..but adalah belikan CD Celine Dion, CD player, Clothing,..hmm mostly clothing..dulu2 i will just surprised him with birthday gifts..nowadays...will ask him prior to his birthday..hehehh so that i can budget..well me just housewife maaa..so tis year dah tanya what he wants..and he still thinking..and told him..kalau lama sangat pikir kira burned aja hadiah tu hahaha...so will see when he comes back on wednesday..
at the moment my head is thinking of what to cook for diner...everyday is such a challenge..susah wooo..hmm maybe i'll cook eggs with coconot sauce, fried lady's finger with udang kering n ????