Exam's over!

I was busy last week helping out the girls getting ready for their finals. Yes finals! No more exam to monitor until next year... yippeee! I know that I am not the only mom out there who makes a fuss over the children's preparation for the exams. Some choose to trust the tuition centre, others a private tutor but me, I rather do it myself.. as for now. Come on, they are only in year 2 & 3... what?

The girls however takes me for granted, I think. Me, the mama who is hardly sick (Alhamdulillah..), the iron lady standing by them rain or shine. Every time when the exam week is nearing we will have this same old conversation. It goes something like this..

Yasmin: Mama, have you prepared the time table for us to study?

Not that I really follow. It is just that to make sure that I manage to touch on every subject..

Me: Not yet. Will do that today.

Wardah: Mama dah beli revision books? (Have you bought the revision books?)

This is how I teach them. They do the worksheets I bought for them & through that we discuss the questions. From here I can pick what are the things they are weak at.

My girls are so used to this pattern that every time there is an exam, the almost similar dialogue is heard. It's not that I'm complaining. Just that, what will happen if suddenly I decide not to bother about their studies. Can they cope?

I remember then when I was younger. Both of my parents, they used to work. There was no time table sticked onto the fridge. No discipline teacher at home to monitor the whereabouts. No dietitian to babble about a balanced diet crap - "Finish up your vegetables!". I was free to do whatever I wanted. So did my siblings. On top of that.. I was still an A student (primary level..;-))

Guess, the competition is tough now. At 5 some kids can already read! I still remember at 7, I was still doing the ba..BA, be.. BE, bi.. BE, bo.. BO, bu.. BU. Reading was out of the story. And... at 8, I read & pronounced "knife" without the silent K... hehehe!

Do you know why a sandwich is called sandwich? Once, there was this man called Mr. Sandwich. He was always on the go & didn't even have time to eat. During one of his rushing days, he took a slice of bread put some vege, beef patty & sauce on top. Covered the food with another slice of bread & that was his meal. From that day onward, his simple & fast lunch is called - Sandwich.

Where did I get that from? My Yasmin... She read this somewhere & shared with us over dinner. And she is only 9. When I was 9, I was reading only books with large prints!

Need I elaborate more? Children nowadays are moving further in comparison to us their age. Time has changed. If we don't bother about them, they will slip through the climb to success. Wherever that is...

My Nadeen the xylophonist

I realise it's been awhile since I last uploaded a video on my chubby cheeked sunshine. She is very lasak (close to hyperactive) now. The play centre behind her in the 1st video is merely another decoration in my house. Thought of disassembling it but at times she doesn't mind being a captive to this hand-me-down toy of her sisters'. Not for long of course!

Yesterday, as I was checking on Wardah's worksheet (both my elder girls' finals start today), Nadeen voluntarily played her xylophone all by herself. Of course, you can see Wardah in the video... She couldn't be happier. Having a break from doing revision once she saw I grabbed HB's Powershot.

I know... it was rather too brief. Right? Did a few editing as the original carried such a big memory. Took me almost forever to upload. I don't have the time & especially the patience!

Did you see how illogical Nadeen's mom was in the video? Why on earth should Nadeen wave at her when none of them was going anywhere? But you knowlah mothers! Always get excited over the kids' achievement.... hehehe. Nadeen recently understood the hand gesture that goes along with the phrase "Bye Bye". Which explains her mom non-stopped efforts.

Later in the evening, her sister (Hey! That's Wardah's dress... You again?? Weren't you supposed to hit the books girl??) was pushing her on the push car when she agreed to wave at me. That was more like it, wasn't it?

Hahaha! Did you hear the spirt? She's into that lately...

Balqis took turn pushing Nadeen. Not that Wardah was tired... Balqis of course wanted the cam's attention too ;-) I mentioned about Balqis's lisp in one of my posts. She is still pelat but far better than before. However, I did not get what she was saying to Nadeen in this video at first. Do you? Thanks to Wardah for interpreting though ;-)

Our Blanco & a friend

Blanco is close to 5 months. A healthy lad I must say... The girls love him dearly. They are very responsible with their pet too. When my helper was on leave, they did help me. Yasmin was in charged to get rid of the poops. Wardah with the food & Balqis with water.Even HB never failed bathing him whenever necessary. Blanco was also a help. He was an entertainer to Nadeen whenever she was outside in her stroller (Nadeen loves watching Blanco playing by its own). That was the time I got busy doing the house chores outdoor.

You know, I too am slowly showing affection towards Blanco. He is such a dear. I enjoy watching the girls playing with him. Even Balqis is no longer afraid of him.

Believe it or not it was me who took the trouble getting him a cage & a basket for him to sleep in. He has completed his treatment for worms & fungal infections (Remember? He was a stray kitten when we found him. You can read here). He is due for his 2nd vaccination next week...

HB & I are rather particular about Blanco's vaccination. Not merely for his health but our main concerns are the girls'. They get daily contacts with Blanco. Of course we want to make sure that he is disease free.

Here is Blanco now.

Blanco with his scratcher cum toy.

A fortnight back during one of Blanco's weekly visits to the vet, the girls came across a kitten in a cage with "Please Take Me Home" written on a piece of paper. I saw the girls inquiring their papa & shortly after that little feet of 6 pitter-pattered towards me... begging, pleading, whining to bring the kitten home. I eyed HB who gave me an approval smile. I stared at him with wide-eyes! Another pet??? In the end, I lost. Hey, it was an unfair battle... 4 against 1!

To make the story short, we adopted that poor little kitten but with 1 condition. It is allowed home only after my helper is back. As most of you know, my helper safely made it home last week & the very next day the girls reminded us to bring the kitten home.

The kitten was taken to the clinic at a week old. She (yes, it's a she...) spent most of her time confined in a cage. On her first day home, she was shocked adapting to loud sounds, cheerful children & even to her own species.

Blanco was extremely thrilled having a friend to play with...

The response from his new buddy was not comparable to his excitement though ;-)

After a while... even Blanco gave up. Hahaha! Here is the best pose of them both.

She was too busy adapting to her new surrounding.

Checking out this & that. She totally ignored Blanco, the girls & even my lens...

That night Blanco was being a real gentleman. He sacrificed the luxury of his comfy basket & made do sleeping in the toilet. But this new member of the family turned a little violent the following day. Blanco could not even go near her. She made this defensive snarl & was ready to attack. We separated them.

Later in the evening I found them playing together. We almost wanted to give away the new kitten which of course would cause a dramatic crying scene in my household! Now, Blanco has a play mate which I'm sure will soon be the mother to his future kittens. Like Yasmin put it last night...

"Mama, are you aware that if Blanco has anak (kids) you will be a grandmother!"... Errrk!

I've never digested it that way...! Hahaha! HB named the new kitten Bonita which means beautiful in Spanish. Reminded me of my fav song... La Isla Bonita by Madonna.

A recent pic of our Bonita

Thanks little fishies!

I've heard so much of this latest spa done by little fishies but never had the time & opportunity to try. Yesterday however, after doing some groceries at Giant hypermarket, I came across a kiosk for this talked bout Fish Spa. Of course, didn't miss the chance...

We were there during office hours hence the place was empty. Once HB dipped his feet into the water, the little fish speed swam towards him. Hahaha! Check this out...

It sure was ticklish at first...

But you kind of get used to it & after a while, enjoying it. It is quite cheap really. RM12 for 20 mins & RM18 for half an hour.

This is yours truly's feet.

Compare that with HB's.

And HB's

And HB's.. hahaha! I have a strong feeling somebody won't agree to my posting these. ;-)

Balqis was with us & wondering what on earth were her parents doing. The girl in charged was so sweet for allowing Balqis to test her curiosity. Unfortunately, not even 1 fish nibbled on Balqis's feet..

According to the staff, the name of the fish is Garra Rufa. Never heard of it but once, I watched Ian Wright did the same spa in Globe Trekker, somewhere in Turkey if I'm not mistaken. Give it a try if you have the chance... ;-)

* sorry that the images are not sharp. My only toy at that moment was only my SonyEricsson 2mpeg cam phone .

Yabedabeduuuu!

Hehehe..! My helper is home!! Alhamdulillah... We fetched her up on Monday night. It is only today that I have the chance to write about it. Tuesday we had guests for lunch & dinner. Yesterday, Wardah was down with mild fever & now in fact, HB has his 3 friends outside at the garden having coffee over kuih raya. That's my HB... Loves having friends & relatives over.

My helper (Sri) was scheduled to land on Monday evening at 1935. HB rang up a friend to find out whether she had boarded the plane at 1530, half an hour before her flight time. Much to my agony, she did not! At 1600, I gave HB a call but his phone was switched off which I assumed he was on his way flying back to KL. I was indeed tensed.

Quarter to 1800, I shipped all the girls in my old MPV & drove to KLIA. We were to fetch HB who landed at 1830. Waited for him at Eden & while ordering he approached us with this assuring look. Sri's name was listed as one of the passengers on AK 105... Phewww!

Still I did not have the confidence telling Balqis. The elder girls knew that we were at the airport to fetch Sri but not Balqis. She is the closest to my helper. So far, she coped very well with Sri's absence. If Sri failed to turn up, it would be easier explaining to the elder girls than to Balqis. Yasmin & Wardah was so good playing along with the plan.

We finished dinner at half past 7. After Maghrib, we rushed to LCCT (another nearby airport). Reached there almost half past 8 & straight my eyes searched the flight schedule screen monitor for AK 105. Her flight landed at 1928. But.... there was no sight of her! OK.. was still having hopes though.

Wardah wanted to go to the toilet. All of us accompanied her without HB who was I bet, in stress looking for a parking space. Once the girls were done, we headed to the arrival hall... again, no sight of her. Errgh...!

Balqis was whining & asking why we were there. She knew that we were at an airport. Repeatedly asking me where we were flying to. At one point, I almost blurted it out & that would definitely spoil the plan. Good thing she got distracted playing with Nadeen.

Almost 9pm, HB called. He was inside the arrival hall & saw Sri lining up for immigration check. That was a big relief... I tell you! When she appeared outside the arrival hall, the girls were screaming out for her. I felt the warmth. Don't know why... Sri too responded affectionately to my girls non-stopped telling her almost everything that happened whilst she was away. Balqis especially was smiling all the way home.

At home, Sri presented Balqis a gift from Indonesia. A doll which she adores a lot. HB sort of scolded Sri for wasting her money but I knew, the looks my girls wore upon seeing the doll were priceless! She also brought back some raya goodies from home, also harum manis mangoes which I loved a lot.

Balqis napping with her new doll. Quite scary lah the doll. It cries non-stop if you pull out the pacifier!

Things are back to normal now. I am back active blogging & facebooking (what a life... hehehe). No more rushing with chores whenever Nadeen is napping. No more late night ironing after the girls' bedtime. No more all 4 girls in tow whenever I am out. It was a great experience, I have to admit. I love the closeness & the privacy. However, I am very glad that Sri is home.

ps- Both my siblings' helpers also went home for raya but none returned home. That's why I was extremely relieved in seeing Sri at the airport...

Nadeen's 1st raya at 10 month

Nadeen turns exactly 10 months on the 2nd day of raya. She is very mobile now, crawling. Weighs 9.1kg. Her legs are stronger & able to stand holding on to someone or something. She also responds to her name. Very selective with people now. Her favourite is still papa & mama is well... second best ;-)

She was down with fever 2 days before raya. Alhamdulillah, was back on her knees on Aidil Fitri itself. Of course she didn't understand the meaning of Aidil Fitri yet. Hated it when others attempted to carry her. What more when she was not fully recovered from the fever.

As promised, these are the raya pictures I managed to snap (or troubled others to... hehehe) for raya this year. Enjoy the pictures. Hope your raya was as good as mine was...

The Raya Banner for this year by my girls & their small uncles

HB is sure lucky having 4 girls fussing over his butang baju Melayu

The girls seeking for forgiveness from papa.

Yasmin's turn with her younger sisters.

When it was Wardah's turn, Balqis chose to sit on the sofa instead... Who can argue with a 3-year-old?

All 5 girls. Nadeen was restless... poor girl.

Raya with their grandparents.

Check out that cheeky smile & her duit raya...

The girls with wan & atuk

Family photo - Aidil Fitri 2008

Lovey-dovey us ;-)

HB's big family in Klang

I was surprised with a birthday cake. Seriously, I had no idea about it. The girls & HB are getting better each year with surprises (there had been many years I had to act surprised... hehehe).

From Klang, we rushed to my grandmother's house in Rembau. The journey took almost 2 hrs but it was peaceful in the car. All 4 had a nap..

HB fell for this fresh, green petai (stink bean). It was a hit amongst my uncles & aunties!

At my wan's kampung, I had another surprise cake! Wow... I love this double celebration!!

The girls were fascinated with this hen laying eggs... hahaha!

Have a wonderful raya. Drive safely home.

Double Celebration!

Today is the 1st of Syawal, end of Ramadhan. Which means a celebration for Muslims in completing a month of fasting. My girls have long been looking forward to this Hari Raya. This year Balqis has started appreciating Aidil Fitri unlike the years before, she was rather puzzled with the excitement. Ever since the final week of Ramadhan she had been asking,

"Mama, esok Hari Rarre?" (Mama, is tomorrow Aidil Fitri?)

"Mama, baju Rarre Aqis dah siap?" (Mama is my new Aidil Fitri attire ready?)

Girls will be girls. I enjoy it so much making a fuss over each one of them, including baby Nadeen. Don't worry, I will definitely share some photos in my next post. The girls will definitely look radiant! ;-)

Why is it a double celebration? No... it's not Gong Xi Raya. Neither a Deparaya... Well, exactly the time & date of posting 34 years ago a baby was born to this world. ;-) Yup! The baby was me... hehehe! Today, is also yours truly's birthday!

I do not expect for anything. HB has already gotten me an advance gift. However, I won't ask nothing in this world rather than seeing my adorable girls feel proud & out of this world with their new baju kurung which I... ( Yeah rrright.. I am not good with thread & needle!!) took the trouble buying the material in Dubai, tailored in Selangor & accessorised (with beads) in Kedah. Yes, their baju kurungs had indeed traveled. My tailor can do wonders with her sewing machine. And my good friend Atun can do miracles with the beadings.

Maybe Nadeen won't bother at all but if her dress gets noticed by others, I am truly happy. So far, HB has given his thumb's up to the girls' attires & especially to Nadeen's. Thanks baby! I knew I had taste... hahahaha!

To all my Muslim readers & friends...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI

MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN

from Yasmin, Wardah, Balqis, Nadeen, HB & yours truly... ooops Blanco too ;-)