I have been doing quite a lot of cooking lately in bid to eat more healthy at home. Since being on the healthy eating challenge I’ve been experimenting with different types of foods which are both yummy and healthy.
Pan fried chicken over spinach
I’ve introduce a greater variety of greens and include more salad like vegetables like baby spinach to our diet.
Prawn Salad
When I am out I too gravitate towards ordering salads and request that they put the sauce on the side so that I can avoid taking in all the hidden sugars that normally come with the mayo or other dressings that they have for salads.
Fried beef with peppers
If we are dining out at a Japanese restaurant for dinner I would order just the dish without noodles or rice to accompany it. I’m currently on a LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) diet and have been cutting off sugars and wheat products in my diet.
Baked Cheesy eggplant and Almond Four bread with a side of bacon cooked at home
I find that I am doing much better in my weight lost management as compared to the previous months after switching to LCHF. The weight has finally started slipping off. (Even though it would certainly be better if the weight came off much faster!!)
Grilled fish with vegetables and mash potato.
Nowadays when I eat out I’ll pass the mash potato to Doggie boy to eat as he loves eating mash as it is too high carb for me.
5th March 2004. That is the official date that I started on my journey as a mom. It was a date that both R and I eagerly waited for since we got married on 16th June 2001.
It was a rocky start to motherhood for me as I endured two miscarriages prior to having Monkey boy. We have always wanted children and it was in our plan that I would stay home and take care of the kids once they arrive. Our first child arrived four years later then expected but it was all in GOD’s timing.
By that time we were more financially stable and we could make the decision for me to stay home to oversee the development of Monkey boy. I’ve always believed that I should be a hands on mom and one who is able to provide both physically and emotionally for my kids. To be there to play with them and guide them through their childhood.
I want to be able to witness all the different milestones that my children go through and be there to give them the support and encouragement that they need in order to become a better person.
Monkey boy and us at Hong Kong Disneyland back in 2008
You can say that Monkey is one of my greatest teacher. Since he was born I have been on a never ending rollercoaster ride in my journey as a mother. From breastfeeding to educating it has been a ride filled with both excitement and apprehension as I tackle the various daily challenges that are thrown my way.
Even till today I’m still learning more about handling challenging kids through him.
Doggie boy when he was a baby
On 13 Dec 2006 we had our 2nd addition to the family. Even though I have experience taking care of Monkey boy, taking care of Doggie boy was a totally different ball game.
He was perceptually hungry and demanded more attention than his elder brother. His temperament was different and I had quite a bit of adjusting to do in regards to care giving.
I was juggling two kids singlehandedly who were 2.5 years apart and it wasn’t easy catering to their demands while working full time. It wasn’t easy handling both the kids and teaching but I gritted my teeth and made it through those trying years.
Tiger girl as a baby
When the boys were at a more manageable age we decided to try for a girl as R always wanted a girl. We were blessed with the birth of Tiger girl on 12. 09. 2010.
What has motherhood meant for me ??
Being a mother has brought about a change in outlook in my life. With three parts of myself living outside my body I’m more generous with my time and energies as compared to the time when I was sans kids.
I’ve learnt to be more flexible and work with tight budgets and time frames. This also means coming up with ingenious ideas to make sure that everything works and runs smoothly on a regular basis.
I’m constantly tweaking my teaching methods and schedules to see what works best for everyone in the family to have everything run at optimal levels.
Innovation and creativity plays a bigger part of my daily life and I fully embrace the time that I have here on earth with the kids.
What have I learned from being a mother?
#1 It is possible to have it all.
Yes. Having time for yourself, your kids and your spouse. It doesn’t mean that now the kids are here your needs or your spouses needs get relegated a lower priority.
All( Kids, Hubby and Myself ) are of equal importance and with careful planning and detailed work it IS possible to have time and energy to focus on all these areas. I was grossly neglecting myself and hubby and as a result our relationship suffered. Never again will I commit the same mistake again!!
# Go with your GUT!!
You yourself know what is best for your kids and your family. Do not be overly influenced by the media, friends or relatives around you. They do not know your situation nor really care if your mess up or fail in your attempt due to you following their “helpful advice”. Mother’s intuition has proven to be very accurate.
With this post we conclude the blog train on Embracing Motherhood here on Dominique’s Desk. If you are interested to read about what the other 25 mothers have to say about their journey as a mother do click on over to our Embracing Motherhood Landing Post.
