10 things I realized after i had two kids

1. Children need cupboards, no more baskets or wooden shelves.

I never actually thought to buy a cupboard for my sons. When they were babies their clothes were placed in a basket. For my first son, when he was a toddler his clothes lay in a 3 tier wooden shelf. Now I have 2 of those, one with doors and the other no doors. Easier for me as a FTWM to reach for their clothes when they need a change.  

2. Second baby means hand me down clothes

This is a no brainer. However I should have gone through my eldest son's baby clothes thoroughly. My sons quickly overgrew their newborn clothes within 44 days (Malays confinement period). So I was a bit disappointed that my second son didn't manage to wear 2-3 of his elder brother's clothes. So it continues to collect years in the storage because of my oversight. For the second son, I bought about 4 sets of newborn clothes for the baby, while the rest were gifted or hand me downs from his elder brother.

3. 30 percent increase in laundry volume

I have a sudden 30 percent increase in laundry volume. Since I don't have a dryer, I seem to be washing clothes every other day compared to twice a week.

4. Double beds?

Since I have a pair of boys I think I might get a double bed for them. Me and my siblings sleep in a double bed with a bed on wheels attached.

5. No More Impromptu Excursions

My excursions are limited to lunch hours only. No more impropmtu excursions since two young boys makes going out single handedly means bringing a lot of things along. 

6. Babywearing again

I move around with two soft structured carriers and sometimes a wrap on loan.

7. Me, spreading advice like an aunty

Since I have been there and done that, I sometimes found myself giving free advice to my same aged friend whenever the chance arrives.

8. It seems easier now

Although technically I have a lot more going on but I feel more relaxed and composed. I am still the worst at planning and organizing and my crafts are only happening once a month, and mostly done in a jiffy but I think I got it going for me. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Maybe the experience which made me groan long time ago makes me somehow prepared.

9. I learned to love a whole lot more

Two child does not mean a divided love. I just feel that I am being loved more now. It is a nice and very heart warming feeling.

10. I cried more

:D
My husband said I am still an ice queen at heart though

Movie Review : Into The Woods

Let me link you to this hilarious duet between to princes. 

I just watched the musical yesterday despite my original plan to do some housekeeping. As usual I never caught up with my personal plans :P. I am always side tracked with side activities like this, but who can say no to a day off and a chance to watch a movie without the kids.

Anyway, it's been awhile since I last watched a movie at the cinemas. This is the first time I watched a new movie not via Astero Foirst or Astero Beist since I came back to work. In fact, I watched it alone while my husband attended an event at a nearby location. I timed it so I would finish by the time finishes work.

So I entered the movie hall not knowing that it was a musical. I think I imdbed it a few days before, but i failed to notice that it is a musical film. Had I known, I wouldn't buy the ticket. I have a hard time sitting still through a musical, unless it is a live play. Well, what made me buy the ticket was that I read somewhere among my friends' statuses that it incorporated fairy tales in it. I am so into fairy tales, my passion, my love, my escapism channel.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the movie concentrated on introducing the main characters and how their stories intertwined with the others. There's a boy with a cow and a naggy mother - obviously Jack from Jack and the beanstalks, a couple of bakers who have no children with a witch for a neighbour, a little girl in red hood stealing breads for her grandmother who lives in the forest, a young abused lady with an evil mother and step sisters - Cinderella. 

The first half shows how they all wishes for something and how they got it. The second half showed that after getting their wishes, they did not live happily ever after - after all. A lot of character died and there was Johnny Depp in it. I will write more when the movie is no longer shown on Malaysian cinemas, but here are my comments in point forms.

1. Anna Kendrick's voice sounded so shrill at the beginning of the movie but sounded better towards the end.

2. Search for the movie in imdb.com and read the trivias.

3. Watch out for the duet between the princes, that was awesome and funny.

4. The movie was a toned down version of the musical by Stephen Sondheim. There were elements of adultery, paedophilia and suicide in it but I guess kids would just glide through the movies without thinking about the implicit message. I think only adults tend to overthink as we all have too much resources, references and knowledge to make us overthink, don't you think?

edited : 21.1.2015, 11.00 am.

Selepas banjir

Aku melawat kampung mak mertua aku minggu lepas. Walaupun kawasan rumah mak mertua tak terjejas dengan banjir namun suasana agak suram. Sehingga Ahad (semalam) masih ada para sukarelawan yang berkunjung ke kawasan Temerloh untuk membersihkan kawasan kegunaan ramai yang kotor / musnah akibat banjir. Kami lalu kawasan Bangau, Paya Banir, dan kawasan daripada Kuantan ke bandar Temerloh melalui Gambang (jalan lama). Boleh nampak paras air banjir sehingga tinggi mana kerana air banjir yang berlumpur meninggalkan kesan berwarna coklat pada pokok-pokok. Jadi pokok-pokok di tepi jalan separuh coklat dan separuh hijau.

Bandar Temerloh banyak kedai yang menjual barang dengan harga diskaun, butik Peace yang banyak jual baju bersaiz besar tu jual diskaun sehingga separuh harga. Sebuah butik baju kurung milik seorang tokey cina, menjual baju terjejas banjir dengan harga RM30. Aku bertanya pada dia kenapa jual stok yang nampak elok? Dia kata, kena jual sebab mereka nak kumpul duit untuk membuat renovation nanti.

Restoran Happy Fried Chicken yang kami pasti kunjung setiap kali balik (sebab ada aircond, mainan kanak-kanak, dan parking kosong selalunya) sudah memulakan operasi sejak Isnin (5 Januari 2015) lagi. Aku tanya pada pelayannya, tinggi mana air naik dik? Dia kata jika duduk di atas kerusi air sehingga paras hidung. Semasa suami aku sedang melayan anak makan, aku pergi memesan nasi goreng tapau untuk mak mertua yang bekerja di hujung minggu. Setelah memesan aku keluar ke kedai sebelah, ada jual mainan. Hasrat di hati nak mencari mainan untuk baby sebab dia dah minat memegang. Namun kedai itu sedang sibuk mengemas. Pintu utamanya hanya separuh sahaja dibuka, lantainya masih lecak dengan paip air dan jet air tu bersepah atas lantai. Masa aku keluar, owner dia tengah beritau harga barang-barang terjejas banjir. Amat murah dia jual namun siapa mahu ambil stok kena air banjir kan? Aku keluar kedai kerana tidak tahan bau air, takut baby sesak. Kami ke kedai sebelah, apek tu lelong kasut kulit rosak bahagian tapak dengan harga RM10 dan RM5. Aku beli sepasang kerana kasut kulit dan ada saiz aku. Bolehlah buat pakai sesekali.

Dalam aku duk membeli benda murah tu ada rasa sayu juga. Mereka kehilangan punca rezeki selama lebih kurang 2 minggu. Barang harga beratus ringgit kini tiada nilai kerana rosak, orang kampung pun mengspend duit mereka ke arah memperbaiki kehidupan sendiri. Namun itu dugaan mereka, mungkin Allah akan membalas dengan rezeki berlipat ganda. Wallahualam.

What I don't understand

I don't understand a lot of things
I will never understand a lot of them
But some I may learn to understand with the passing of time
I will never understand what people expect of me if they don't tell me
But I am always anxious of not expecting people's expectations
There are a lot of people expecting things from me
I may never fulfill these expectations
But in the end the only expectation I should fulfill is God's

People expect me to be this and that
Sometimes I am tired of these expectations
Sometimes I went from me to a rebel me
Sometimes I heed but I still am not fulfilled
Life is a work
Dead is tougher I guess
Life is short
The after life is infinite
So why do I lost sleep over something with a full stop at the end
Why do I yearn of people's appraisal and of things which expires
Why do I not surrender totally to God
Why do I keep my thoughts chained to materials when I realize it will all perish at the end of time

Happy new year to me
A lot of things to learn
Another year, Alhamdulillah the chance to Love Allah and let go of materialism