Want To Be A Frugal Mom?

How good are you at being frugal? Would you like to learn more on:

• how to save money?
• how to cook low-cost healthful meals?
• how to become debt-free?

Well, there's a special place where frugal minded moms meet and it's called the Hillbilly Housewife Club. Normal monthly membership is $15 but now there's a special offer where you can have a 7-day preview of the Club for only $1.

So, for 7-days you can access:

• A Monthly Report on a Money Saving Or Homemaking Topic
• More Frugal Recipes both From Susanne and Other HBHW Club Members
• Frugal Living and Homemaking Articles
• Daily Reflections
• Mingle with other HBHW Club Forum members where you can exchange ideas with other members, make new friends and become part of the HBHW Club community

If you've ever wanted a place to go where you could find caring women on the same road as you and get step-by-step action plans, each month, that will help you toward your goals, then you owe it to yourself to take a look at the Hillbilly Housewife Club.

Want to find out more? Click the link below:
I WANT TO BE A FRUGAL MOM

Happy 8th Birthday

We celebrated K's 8th birthday day before yesterday. Nothing fancy, just a special dinner cooked to her request.

I'm grateful that my kids have never asked for a big birthday party. The last "big" party we had was when kokoD turned 1 and K turned 3. It was a 2-in-1 party coz' both of their birthdays are in August. We booked an indoor futsal area and had lots of friends attend. Since then all their birthdays have been really simple - specially cooked lunch/dinner at home cooked by me. I also try to take them somewhere special. Last year I took them to a movie. This year we visited Gardenia's Bread factory. They are also given a budget of RM5 to spend on whatever they like.

In front of the Gardenia Bread factory with their goody bags.

This was K's specially requested birthday dinner:

Mommy's Fried Chicken Drumsticks (finger licking good MFC), chicken fingers, mash potatoes with gravy, french fries and coleslaw.

K enjoyed her chicken drumsticks and coleslaw to the max. I feel blessed that my children can enjoy a relatively inexpensive birthday meal (considering it would have cost me much, much more if ordered from KFC). I guess she also saw how mommy (with her big, big tummy) spent many hours in the kitchen preparing her meal and that made her appreciate the dinner more.

Mama's Parenting Tip on birthdays:

• Don't have to throw an elaborate birthday party each year for your children. You can still make it special in small ways.
• Start a family birthday tradition to make the birthday child feel extra special. For example: a special day out for the birthday child, a new dress/shirt, trip to the bookstore to select a book of their choice, birthday child picks the menu for the day, treasure hunt to find presents bought by family members etc....
  

Most Loving Sibling Contest

MOBS & ComfyBebe are hosting a contest and it's about Loving Siblings. At this very moment, my 2 boys are playing peacefully together. 5 minutes ago one was yelling at the other. That's just typical of siblings. One minute they are at each others throats, the next minute they are best buddies.

Anyway, I'm to choose one photo that exemplifies these "loving siblings". Here's my choice:

These pictures were taken in June 2007. That time Karina was only 6, Damus was 4 and baby Danic was only 5 months old. Baby still couldn't sit on his own yet and so the other two squashed him in the middle (acted as support) and enjoyed their motorcycle ride. I took this picture because it showed 2 things:

1. Even though baby was still very young, the older two included him in their play. They took care of him and made sure he was okay which gave mommy time to do other things.
2. Baby just looked soooo happy to be with his siblings.
   

There are many more examples of their loving relationship. I try to capture them whenever I can.

BabyD giving his koko kisses. He tags along when I send kokoD to school in the morning. He makes sure to give koko a goodbye kiss before koko gets down from the car.

See how he "manja" with the sister sometimes.

Even till today, the 3 of them will gather in their "playroom" every night and do "stuff". There'll be talking, laughter, shouting, teasing, screaming, fighting, playing etc.

Mamas Parenting Tips on Sibling Rivalry:

• Don't take sides. It's not who is right but what is right. So stop the finger pointing and blaming. AND don't ever ask "who started it first?" or "who did it?" You're just asking for more trouble.
  
• Sometimes I "bench" them all and have them figure out a solution to their problem.
  
• Hitting is not tolerated at all. Separate all parties involved until everyone cools down.
• Remove the cause of the conflict e.g. if they are fighting over a toy, I take it away untill they can tell me a good reason to give it back.
  
• Continue to teach tolerance, respect and understanding (even though it seems only the walls are listening).

Latest "sibling bonding" picture:

Totally Free Tuesday for New WAHMs

Are you a new WAHM? Not sure if you're doing things right or headed in the right direction? Well, mark this date down then: 8 Sept 2009 (Tuesday). Mom's Talk Affiliates is having a TOTALLY FREE TUESDAY! It's like an orientation for new WAHMs.

What's happening on that day?

• Free Webinars where you'll hear from other successful WAHMs.
• Free Gifts by eMail
• Special Giveaways

So, when that day comes rolling by, just click on the banner above.

Crispy Brinjal with Dried Shrimp and Garlic

There's a restaurant in Ijok (can't remember the name now) that serves this really nice brinjal dish. It's crispy and has dried shrimp and garlic. Not sure if there are other ingredients (probably yes), and I don't think they are going to share their secret recipe with us.

Anyway, thought I'd try to do a dish something like that. I don't know how they cook it until crispy. So I improvised and coated the brinjals with flour first before frying. Turns out okay. Not too bad. DH gives me the thumbs up. The kids didn't want to eat it at first. But once they tried it, they liked it too.

So, here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

• Brinjal (Egg Plant, Aubergine or whatever else you want to call it)
  
• Wheat Flour
• Rice Flour
• Salt
• Dried Shrimp (Hokkien call "Hay Bee) - wash and chop it to smaller pieces
• Garlic - chopped to small pieces too.

How To Cook?
1. Skin the brinjal. Cut them into longish rectangles (refer to picture below). Soak in salt water so it doesn't turn brown.

2. Mix together wheat flour, rice flour and a pinch of salt. How much depends on how much brinjals you are cooking. Coat the cut brinjals with the mixed flour. The brinjals will be a bit wet still so the flour will stick to the brinjals.

3. Deep fry the coated brinjals until golden brown. Set aside.

4. Fry the garlic and dried shrimp until golden brown. Get rid of the oil.


5. Mix the fried brinjals with the garlic and dried shrimp. Sprinkle a bit more salt for taste.

THAT'S IT!

Give it a try and if you improve on it, let me know.

Get Kids To Help In The Kitchen

You know, people tell me that I'm lucky to have a girl as the eldest in the family. You know what? They are right. K has been a willing helper in the kitchen and that has lightened my load. The 2 main things I have her do are:

• wash the rice
• cut / peel and wash vegetables (see what a good job she is doing with my spinach)

PARENTING TIP:
Don't chase your children out of the kitchen. Take time to teach them how to prepare food. They'll make mistakes, it's okay. You'll get beans cut at different lengths, it's okay. They learn through practice.

8th Month of Pregnancy

I'm now about 34 weeks preggy. As you can see, the baby clothes have all come out of storage. So exciting to see all those tiny clothes again. Can you tell I'm getting impatient? I'll only get more impatient as the weeks roll by.

Why am I impatient? Afterall, these are the few weeks left I have of uninterrupted sleep right? The few weeks left I have of being diaper free. The few weeks left I have of having normal size breasts. The few weeks left of having my arms free from weights. The few weeks left I have with dealing with 3 kids instead of 4.

Well, I'm getting impatient because this bump is getting really uncomfortable. I can't sit or lie down comfortably. Plus, it's difficult to do things. I'm out of breath a lot. My ears are stuck the whole day (don't know why). And I can't wait to get rid of this diabetes so I can eat my favorite desserts again. Oh, I also am tired of trying to remember to count baby's movements. AND tired of going to the clinic so often for checkups.

The clinic here gave me a referral letter to go to the Sg. Buloh hospital to make an appointment with the specialist. They said it was necessary at 34 weeks. So off I went last week. Must remember to wear a mask next time I go because of the H1N1 cases. They took a blood sample and told me to come back on the 26/8. So, now I have my checkup at the clinic on the 18/8 where I also do my BSP test the same day (which means going to the clinic 4 times that day to get my finger poked). Then I have to go to the clinic again the next day to meet with the doctor who will go through the results of the BSP test. The week after that I have to go to the Sg. Buloh hospital to meet with the specialist. And the week after that is my checkup again at the clinic. Sigh! Sooooo many visits to the clinic and doctors. Hopefully the doctor at the hospital do not ask me to go there for checkup too. If not I'll be going for checkup here and checkup there (sounds like "Old McDonald Had a Farm").

Okay, some of the things I'm grateful for:

• I don't have high blood pressure
• I don't suffer from heartburns
• I don't have edema

Need to do:

• Buy newborn diapers
• Pack my bag for the hospital
• Get diaper rash cream
• Get new rubber thingy for the baby tub
  

What I hope for:

• Quick delivery
• Normal delivery
• No tearing
• Good doctors and nurses
• Be able to bear the pain once again
• Baby doesn't stay inside past due date
  

Watch Out for Me On Malaysian Women's Weekly

Last year, I got an email from Malaysian Women's Weekly saying they would like to interview me for an article. I was told the feature would maybe be in the January issue. But then, I heard no news from them after that and didn't see anything on me in the magazine. I wrote to ask what happened and didn't get a reply. So I thought maybe the idea was cut.

Last week, I get a call asking when I would be free for a photo shoot. Imagine my surprise. I can't even remember what the interview was about. I remember faintly that it was about my blog (or was it my online shop?). Aiyoh, this pregnant woman has really lost a lot of brain cells I believe. Well, they were very kind to come out all the way to my home to do the photo shoot. They took some individual shots and also some with my kids.

This is KokoD with the makeup artist. Poor girl got a bit lost trying to find her way to my house. Anyway, I doubt they'll use the photos with KokoD because he became so shy in front of the camera. Either he didn't smile or his eyes would be close.


My living room turned into a photo studio.

Poor me with my big belly had to lie down on the floor for one of the poses. Thank goodness I could get up after that :) But the photographer was a very nice guy. The makeup artist also had to keep dabbing sweat off my face. Sorry-lah, when you are this advanced into pregnancy, you automatically become a heat generator.

Well, not often we get to be in a women's magazine. So I thought I'd let the whole world know. Heheheh. They haven't decided yet which issue this is coming out (Oct 09 onwards). Just keep a lookout for me.

I don't know if I can post some of the photographs up. I'll just post 3 and if they object, I'll just take it down.

(update 1/10/09)): I was told that the pictures will have to wait until the artcle is published. So I'm taking them out till then.

Happy 6th Birthday KokoD

KokoD's birthday was on Sunday but we only celebrated yesterday. His special dinner order was Chicken in Mushroom Sauce (I've posted this dish here before so just click on the link if you want to know how to make it). It's a really simply dish but really delish. It was served together with another simple dish of french beans with carrots. Drinks were cincau-soy milk. And the
cake was again my frugal Jelly Cake. I made this cake for them last year and he wanted it again. Jie-jie K's birthday is coming up and she also wants the Jelly Cake, but different flavors and mixed fruit instead of peaches. This may be the standing order for the next few years. Heheheh. I don't mind coz' it's cheap and easy to do.

I got the candles at Tesco. They had it on sale. 1 box was less then RM1. There was even a musical candle.

So, how do I describe this boy of mine who just turned 6?

• Still active and playful as ever. Can't sit still and can't keep quiet.
• Has lost his interest for dinosaurs. Instead, it's dragons, Ben 10, guns, swords and Transformers now.
• Needs plenty of reminders on manners and speaking uplifting words.
• Still a mama's boy. He still sticks near to me and needs his hugs and cuddles.
• Very sensitive and gets angry quickly.
• Can be very helpful and considerate if he wants to.

Happy Birthday KokoD.

Who Wants A Free Account with ClickN READ or ClickN SPELL?

August is a birthday month in my family. Two of my kids were born on this month. My brother and mom are also born in this month. So, what do we do with a birthday month?

Time for giveaways!

THE PRIZE
A free account to ClickN READ PHONICS or ClickN SPELL.
2 winners will be chosen.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO?

1. Leave a comment here on which program you want and why you want it.
   
2. Optional: In your blog or website, link to one of the following pages using the given anchor text below. Let me know when you've done the linking.
   
• ClickN Read Phonics - link to http://valuebookshop.com/clicknreadphonics.htm
  
• ClickN Spell kids spelling software - link to http://valuebookshop.com/2009/clickn-spell-kids-spelling-software
  
  

HOW ARE WINNERS SELECTED?
To give everyone a fair chance, I'll be doing a lucky draw on the1st September 2009. So, all entries must be in by 31st August 2009. If you choose the additional option of linking to one of the specified pages, you will have 2 entries instead of 1. Meaning, your chances of winning is higher.

Good luck everyone.

If you want to learn more about what the programs are about, click on the links below:

• ClickN READ PHONICS:Learning to read with phonics
• ClickN SPELL: Kids spelling software

p.s. Oh, and make sure if you are selected as a winner, I have a way of contacting you to get details so I can set up your free account. Best way is to subscribe to this blog of mine (you'll find the "subscribe me" form on the right-hand bar) so you don't miss the winner announcement.

Cloth Diapers On Discount

If you want to try cloth diapers or are one of those mothers who are crazy over cloth diapers, then you will want to know that Nice Cloth Diaper is having a sale. You can get 10% off. The sale is only until 28 August 2009. Actually the discount is storewide. They not only have cloth diapers, but also wetbag, mattress protector, flash cards, cotton menstrual pad, environmental friendly cockroach and mosquito repellent, 100% cold crafted soap, environmental friendly laundry ball, baby sling and pouch etc....

Discount code is SALES2009.

Plus, for every RM70 that you spend, you get a piece of cotton flannel baby wipe worth RM4.50.

Sounds interesting?
Click here to find out more: Nice Cloth Diaper

Online Kids Spelling Software: ClickN SPELL

Have you heard about ClickN Read Phonics? It's quite a popular online reading program. Well, the same company has just come up with another program called ClickN SPELL. The name of their software should already give you an idea what it does: TEACH YOUR CHILD SPELLING!

I believe you can start teaching your child spelling around 4-5 years old. However, it shouldn't be just about memorizing the sequence of letters, it helps to teach them phonics first. That way it's easier for them to spell coz' they listen for the sounds and select the letters to match those sounds.

Anyway, children are always keen to get on the computer to play games. Why not get them excited about learning to spell with this fun, interactive software. Sure beats the traditional way of writing words line after line after line....

If you have a child struggling to learn spelling, or you have no time to teach your child spelling, you might want to check out ClickN SPELL. You can learn more about ClickN SPELL by going to my product report. Just click the following link: ClickN SPELL KIDS SPELLING SOFTWARE
At the end of the review, you'll find a discount code that will get you 5% off.

Or go ahead and test out the program now. You get 2 free lessons to try. Just click on the banner below:

Learning Bahasa Malaysia From Friends

I sent my son to the g'ment kindergarten so he could adapt to the language and culture before starting Std.1 next year. Well, let me share with you the Bahasa Malaysia my son is learning... not from school books, but from friends. I thought of calling this "Bahasa Malaysia words and phrases your child should know before they start Std.1 in a kebangsaan school".

• Tak nak kawan lah
• Bodoh
• Padan muka
• Kau 'pa hal?
• Jangan kacau
• Pinjam
  

I'm sure there is some more. Will add to the list when I hear more. As you can see, most of the words not very nice to hear. I'm sure you already know they pick up bad things faster than they pick up good things. A few days ago, my son asked me "mommy, what is 'toyol'?" It seems his friend told him that he saw a "toyol" before. So there, another word added to his vocabulary. Not something he'll learn from a text book.

Oh, and there is also this game which I'm sure some of you may be familiar with. Amazing, it's still around. My son has been driving me a little insane with his repetitive recitation of it. He's even got babyD to learn some of it:

Assalamualaikum
Kum apa? kombat
Bat apa? batman
Man apa? mentol
Tol apa? tolak
Lak apa? laksa
Sa apa? Sepak
Pak apa? pakcik
Cik apa? cicak
Cak apa? cawan
Wan apa, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (counting in english).

Actually, the one written above is how it is suppose to be. My son's version is a bit different. He gets to "Man apa?", he says "Mentos" instead of "mentol". Then he just makes up the rest of it, even to the point of gibberish.

Well, just thought I'd let you know to get ready for your child's language to be "contaminated" when they start schooling.

FREE Potty Training Kit from Pampers

ONLY FOR US RESIDENTS

If you are currently potty training your child, you'll be interested in this offer. You can put in a request to have Pampers send you a Potty Training Kit. It includes:

• A free sample of Easy Ups Trainers
• High-value coupons
• Fun stickers & coloring pages
• Step-by-step potty training tips
• Potty Progress Chart
• Dora or Diego training trophy

Click the following link to put in your potty kit request:
Potty Training Kit

Cheap Nursing Bra

Just a quick note to tell all breastfeeding moomies and breastfeeding moomies to-be that you can get a RM10 nursing bra at Fabulousmom.com. You can click here to go direct to the product page:
Eunice Nursing Maternity Bra

BSP Test no.2 - Gestational Diabetes Update

Once again I had to do the BSP (Blood Sugar Profile) test on Tuesday. Once again I had my finger poked 4 times in a day. Actually, it was poked 5 times. One time they poked but not enough blood oozed out. The readings seem to be higher then the first BSP test: 5.4, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.5. The last reading was not satisfactory. They marked it in red, like having red marks on your report card when you fail. Hahahah. Ideally, the readings need to be lower than 6.0.

So, doctor told me to repeat the last reading on Wednesday night. I made sure I didn't eat too much rice and bumped up the vegetable intake. I cooked spinach and french beans with carrots for dinner that night. Thank goodness the reading was 5.5. I was so worried because if it was still high, then I would have to go to the hospital for insulin jabs.

On Tuesday night when the reading was 6.5, I had noodle soup (kuey teow and yellow mee). Didn't have time to cook a real meal that day so opted for something simple. Too much carbo I guess. Plus, I was hungry that night and may have eaten more than I should have.

Well, I guess I just have to keep on watching the diet. It's a bit difficult when I see my children and DH enjoying treats and I cannot participate. The sugar craving is still there to tempt me. 2 more months, 2 more months... 2 dragging more months. Sigh!

HugaMonkey Baby Sling Review

Do you practice baby wearing? Then you'll want to know about HugaMonkey baby sling. It's a sling that looks like a tube that conforms to your body. It is easy to put on when you want to carry your baby around. It requires no folding and doesn't use rings, buckles or tons of fabric. You won't have to worry about slipping too.

The fabric is made from 100% Kona cotton. It is a breathable, durable and soft natural fabric. In other words, it's very lightweight and comfortable. They also have baby slings made from natural organic cotton (60% organic cotton and 40% organic bamboo).
The designs are simple and the colors easy to match with your wardrobe. You can use these slings on your newborns up until they are 3 years old or 30 pounds.

How To Use It?
You can wear baby several ways with the Hugamonkey baby sling:

• Tummy to tummy carry. Baby is sitting and facing you.
• Back hip sit carry.
• Hip sit carry
• Kangaroo carry. Baby is sitting and facing outwards.
• Traditional lying down carry. Great for newborns.

Watch these videos for a better idea on how simple it is to use it:

How to put on the sling


Traditional lying down carry


How Well Does It Work?
Looking around the web, I found some testimonials by users of HugaMonkey baby slings. These people are not being compensated for their views. You can be sure they are being honest in what they are saying.

I have a hugaMonkey sling and it works great. Mine is the lightweight version for hot weather. It is a basic pouch, the fabric I have does not have stretch. Make sure you get it in the right size or it won't be secure for your newborn. Mine is a bit big, but it will work better when my LO is heavier.
(Excerpt from a comment at community.babycenter.com)


What I was looking for! I can wear it without spending hours trying to fold it. No loops or buckles to mess with. Very prompt courteous service when I had an ordering question. Recommended highly!
(Excerpt from a comment at www.affordablebabyorganics.com)


Love the sling, it was just a little too big. I worked with Carrie to determine if it was too big or not. My sling has been washed and tried on and she still said its no problem to exchange. Wonderful company. I would recommend you to any of my friends that is considering buying a sling. Thanks!
(Review submitted at hugamonkey.com)


I own a traditional sling and a Maclaren carrier. The Hugamonkey is much more comfortable. You almost feel pregnant again because the baby is so close to you. My daughter loves to be in it and almost instantly goes to sleep. I really wish I had this for my first child so I could have used it for all of them, especially my colicky son. The crazy thing is it cost me less than what I had, was shipped free to my door, is much cuter and so much better. I'm loving the Hugamonkey!!
(Review submitted at hugamonkey.com)

I was looking to find a negative review and came across only one at amazon.com. Her complain was she didn't get the right size. But from other users feedback, there is no problem if you order the wrong size. You can send it back for an exchange and the customer service is very prompt and good.

MY VERDICT
This is one baby sling I would like to get. Some of the things I look for when it comes to baby slings are:

• Easy to use.
• Doesn't hurt my shoulder or back
• Easy to pack in a bag
• Not bulky
• Baby is comfortable
• Affordable

Looks like HugaMonkey baby sling meets all those criterias.

PRODUCT OPTIONS:
The sling comes in 5 sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
They have a size chart, so do check that out to get the right size.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR HUGAMONKEY BABY SLING TODAY!

Busy Toddler

HOW DOES MY TODDLER KEEP HIMSELF BUSY?
BabyD is quite good at keeping himself busy. Well, decided to grab my camera to see what he has been up to.

Riding on a motorcycle. He's using a bolster here. Sometimes, he uses a pillow. Few minutes later, I hear him say "aeroplane". After that it's back to "motorcycle". Maybe I need to invent something where he can play motorcycle and mop my floor at the same time. Anyway, this is another example of why kids don't need so many battery operated plastic toys that don't last long.

Seeing mommy so busy with her camera, he decided he also wanted to take pictures. He grabbed this toy telescope and pretended to take pictures.

Enjoying himself talking into the fan because it sounds funny.

Every afternoon he turns on the music, climbs onto the top bunk (which is his jie-jie's bed and she's at school) with the CD player's remote control.

Because of his "botak" head, we use to pull his ears and call him Dopey for fun. He seems to think it's funny too.

Wrapping a pen with paper

According to him, he was writing "W"s.

Reading books.

Mommy, Can I Have Some Money?

For the last few weeks, KokoD requested that I come late to pick him up after kindergarten. He says he wants time to play with his friends. Seeing that he is enjoying his friends company so much, I said okay. So for the past week or so I've been going late -- giving him about 15 minutes extra time after school to "play".

Unfortunately, this extra time of "play" is turning out to be extra time for mischief. The first few days of extra time, I would pick up a kid that was dripping in sweat. Yes, literally dripping in sweat. Not only was he sweaty, he was dirty as well. One of the days he said his friend threw sand on his head. Another day as I was doing laundry, I threw into the wash his underwear that was the same color as the sandy slope outside his school. I checked his pants, no such color. So I'm wondering, how is this so? Underwear dirty but pants clean?

Well, the last few school days, the dirty boy is no more. He is up to something else. He comes home and tells me that his friends "belanja him makan" (treating him to food). They've been buying stuff and sharing with him. That's nice I guess, but also dangerous since the school was recently hit with H1N1. Well, he asked me if he could have some money because he wants to buy stuff from the stalls outside his school, like his friends. I told him "NO" because he hasn't learned how to handle money and also doesn't know the value of things. When I picked him up on Thursday, he was eating a piece of "jambu". Obviously courtesy of his friend. On Friday, I found him at one of the stalls with a bunch of his friends... HOLDING SOME MONEY! He was very keen on buying the "jambu" and had me wait while he put in his order.

Me: Where did you get the money from?
KokoD: My friend gave it to me.
Me: Did you ask for it?
KokoD: No.
Me: How much was the jambu?
KokoD: Don't know.
Me: How much did you give the lady?
KokoD: One 50cent, two 10cents and one 20cent.
Me: How many times have you taken money from your friend?
KokoD: One time only. Today.

The reason why I asked him these questions is because of what I saw as he was buying the jambu:
1. The lady asked him how many he wanted.
2. He didn't answer.
3. The lady asked him how much money he has.
4. He just put out his hand to show her.
5. Then she packed the jambu accordingly.
ALAMAK! How can buy things like that!

Anyway, we firmly told him that he must give the money back to his friend. Goodness knows what will happen if his friend's parents found out that my son has been living off their good fortune. They might think my son was an extortionist! Later, he declared that he still had another 50cents, also from his friend. Aiyoh! I almost pengsan.

Anyway, this was a good reminder that I need to spend less time on the computer and more time teaching my son stuff like "how to count money."

Mama's Parenting Tip:
1. Sometimes (or most of the time) we cannot put all the blame on our children when they do something wrong. If we don't teach them properly, how will they know to choose the right?

2. Don't just teach children to count money. Have to also teach them the value of money and the value of things. For example, I let him buy a cup of drink which cost RM1. It was not a very big cup. To him it was "very cheap what!" Then I calculated for him, one cup everyday would mean RM5 every week. By the end of the month, it would be RM20. With RM20, we could go to Tesco and buy 1 big bottle of Ribena or about 3 bottles of fruit juice syrup. We could then make many, many, many cups of delicious drink. These are difficult times and teaching frugality is a must! Teach them how to be wise shoppers (of course, we have to be wise first).

3. When teaching young children, don't just use workbooks to teach them. Bring out your wallet and let them touch and see REAL money. For example, RM5 is green color and RM10 is red.

4. We all know that children lose things easily, especially stationeries. You can set up a mini stationery shop at home. Lose an eraser, buy one from mommy.

5. It's good that when children get older, for us to give them opportunities to earn their own money. Not for everyday chores but "special" work like washing the car or weeding the garden. Of course, take into consideration their age and capabilities.

Counting Baby's Movements

Did you ever count your baby's movements when you were pregnant? I didn't do it with my first 2 babies. I had to do it with babyD and I've been asked to do it with this baby too. Many of my friends mentioned that they didn't do it. I've come to the conclusion that when you go to private clinics, this is not a requirement. But when you have your checkups at the government clinics, they suggest you do it and provide a chart for you to do your recording too. It's known as a Fetal Movement Count.

The procedure is as such:
Starting at 9am, count baby's movements until 10 times. For every movement, you put a check mark on the chart. Once you've had 10 movements, record down the time. So, if the 10th movement was at 2pm, you write 2pm on the chart. Now, the trick is, if baby continuously kicks you 3 times (like within 2 seconds), that is counted as 1 movement. And hiccups don't count.

The reason for doing this is to be aware of baby's well-being. By charting baby's movements, you can know if there is a decrease in activity which usually indicates that baby is in distress. If you cannot count 10 movements within 12 hours, you are to go to the hospital IMMEDIATELY.

The problem:
I KEEP FORGETTING TO COUNT!
I'll begin counting at 9am. Then I'll get engrossed in doing house chores and cooking, I'll forget to keep counting. Plus, when the kids do something wrong and I'm in the middle of blowing fire out of my dragon nostrils, how to remember to count? I mean it's almost impossible while you're screaming at the kids and fuming mad to suddenly stop and say "hey, that's movement no. 6". I wish there was an instrument that I could just attach to my tummy that would do the counting for me. I've put up a notice on the wall, just above my computer monitor that reads "don't forget to count." Even then, I still forget.

So, this counting business is good stuff... IF I remember to do it. You know what they say about pregnant women -- memory is not their strongest point.