I Dream of Miele

Living in a small space requires appliances that are meant for hobbits. My dream of owning a Kitchen Aid, even if we could afford it, is tempered by the fact that there just isn't anywhere in our kitchen to put it. As it is, our turbo broiler needs a stepladder to access it on top of the kitchen cupboards when it is to be used.

As far as laundry goes, I would love a washing machine that can fit all my sheets (Super King-sized duvet cover, flat sheet and 8 pillowcases) in one load, but that would likely entail a top-loading machine that we just don't have room for. My washer and dryer are stacked one on top of the other, but the machine just can't seem to handle man-sized clothes. My clothes and my son's are no problem, but when Big A's come into the picture I need to add more soap and 3 more rinse cycles just to get them properly clean.

When I wash the bathmats the machine goes mad, "doing a Transformers" as my husband calls it, launching itself all around the tiny utility room like a demented bronco and requiring at least 2 people to hold it in place. I had to stop it mid-cycle last time and the au pair and I had to take the mats out and rinse and wring them by hand. No easy feat.

Real Stepford wives never have laundry problems, as part of their abilities include washing, wringing and probably spinning the clothes dry with their bare hands and then ironing them perfectly, something I can only dream of doing passably well. I heart that the au pair can do what the twice a week laundry and ironing girl used to as ironing is my one failing as a good housekeeper.

So, add to my list of wishes when we win the lottery - a Miele.

Better Late Than Never

I am usually a stickler for deadlines. That said, I missed the one on this reading challenge by well over a week. It has hung over my head constantly, since I have read the books but not found time to post my reviews, so following my tried-and-tested formula of sleeping less and doing more, I am finally catching up.

My reasons for not being able to post on time are valid - the new business, Little A's speech delay issues and my day girl's sudden disappearance from my household just before the New Year. (What was meant to be a week-long holiday with her family turned out to be a lifetime of motherhood as she discovered she was pregnant by her boyfriend.)

Still, better late than never, so here are my World War II books read (or re-read) in 2009:

1. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky - I loved this book. Not only did she believably capture the day-to-day lives of civilians during the war, the appendices at the end of the book were far more moving than the fiction as they told, though letters between herself, her husband, her publisher and others, how Nemirovsky herself became a vicitim of Nazi persecution and eventually perished in a concentration camp.

2. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - written by one of my all-time favourite children's authors, this book tells from a child's point of view how confusing and important it is to keep a secret at a time when people close to you could suffer otherwise. A poignant story (based on facts) of courage and friendship written in Lowry's beautiful prose.

3. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr - barely 65 pages long and published in large print, this simple story of a lively 11-year old who never walked and only ran until she was diagnosed with the "Atom Bomb disease" made my hair stand by the end of it. Another touching story of courage and friendship from a different perspective than the traditional European one.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - ranked on many a best-books list since its publication in 2006, this telling, from the perspective of Death, makes for an interesting read, particularly since it features a young girl who, as the title claims, steals books.

5. Dancing with Eva by Alan Judd - an interesting story of Eva Braun's fictional secretary and a high-ranking Nazi official who meet many years later and recollect the end of the war.

6. Fatherland by Robert Harris - an inventive, imaginative tale of the Third Reich as it would have been had the Nazis succeeded in achieving their goals. But even in the Fuhrer's ideal world, nothing is perfect.

Two of the books I wanted to re-read but refused to rush through just to make the deadline were Kazuro Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day and Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. On my best books list since I first read them many years ago, both are on my list of rereads for this year.

Reading challenges are fun. I hope to find the time to join more of them in 2010.

Onward to the Next Decade

Another year nearly over. Wow. Lately I've not had much time to post, with a new business to manage, a flat to run and a family to look after. Christmas came and went without my once feeling the holiday spirit. I did get all the presents bought, wrapped and delivered, but that is all in the course of a woman's work.

The past two months have been a flurry of activity. In mid-November, Little A visited a developmental pediatrician to assess the cause of his speech delay and see what course of action would be best to take. The doctor advised Occupational Therapy for behavioural modification and sensory integration, as Little A is very sensitive to textures - hating grass, sand and most forms of fabric upholstery, refusing to wear shoes - and does not respond to instructions nor interact much with others.

We visited a couple of therapy centers and managed to choose one and squeeze in the evaluation before they closed down for the year. Little A also started preschool two mornings a week at this same time. Yesterday, we took him for a sleeping hearing test called the BAER, which measures the brain's response to sound at different levels.

Little A's left ear was fine, responding from a level of 25 up to 90 decibels. His right ear, which the neurologist in charge of the examination told us is normally the dominant side, was less responsive, only showing a reaction to the sound at a high 95 decibels.

The formal report on the test will only be released next week (or next year, depending on how one looks at it) and will be explained to us by Little A's pediatrician, who will also recommend a suitable course of action.

It is a small load off my mind to have seen that there may be a physical reason why Little A isn't talking yet. We still don't know what the final diagnosis will be, but whatever it is, we are praying it is something we can address early and well enough to give him the chances he deserves as he grows older.

I have much to be thankful for for the past year, but even more to hope for in the one to come. Here's hoping a good decade for our family is up ahead.

Ring Bearer

A week ago today my little boy walked down the aisle, hand-in-hand with his father, bearing not the pillow with the rings but his favourite Baby Einstein DVD case.

I was very proud, like all mums must be when their children first take part in a bridal march. When we were first asked if Little A would be the ring bearer at my cousin's wedding, I accepted with great trepidation and told my aunt in all honesty that I doubted he would cooperate. At that stage he was refusing to wear shoes, not at all given to following instructions and rarely walked but mostly ran.

In the months leading up to the wedding I tried on a couple of occasions to make him walk down the hallway of our little flat carrying a small pillow but had no success. If he walked, he would throw the pillow aside. If he carried it, he would hug it to his chest, run down the hall and crash into the couch, laughing.

Two weeks before the big day, I borrowed the top he would wear from my best friend from childhood, the same top her son wore to my wedding. The native Filipino dress top, called a Barong Tagalog, was long-sleeved and made of slightly scratchy cotton. Every time I tried to put it on Little A just to check it for size, he would pull it off. I was already unsure he would walk down the aisle, let alone with the rings and now half-dressed as shoes were still a no go.

On the day of the wedding, we had to wake him from his nap to get to the church on time. He had slept two hours and woke up cheerful. Always eager for a car ride, he enjoyed the trip to the church but weekend traffic meant we arrived just in time. I ran him into the church where the march had already begun, and got him into his top with surprisingly little fuss just in time to push him down the aisle. A little confused, he looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if to ask what exactly he was meant to do. Right then, Big A came up, took him by the hand and off they walked, just perfectly.

Later on, I helped him deliver the rings for the priest to bless, and this time he wanted to climb the stairs to the altar. During the photo session following the ceremony, the other little boys and girls stood at their places obediently while Little A had to be chased away from the priest's chair and hauled back bodily to the steps where the photos were being taken, several times as he attempted escape more than once.

Nevertheless, I considered the event a huge success. Next on the list, performing at the school end-of-term concert. That one is still a dream.

Meme Time

I am really not a tech-savvy person. Honestly, I don't even know what the word "meme" really means, but gather it's kind of like the Internet version of an old-fashioned slam book. Mushamommy tagged me, and while I have no idea how to tag anyone back, I do have a few minutes to get through the questions, so here goes:

Do you think you're hot? Thankfully, my husband does, but as for me myself, it depends on what I am wearing :)

Upload your favourite picture and explain why you love it - for now, this one of my happy little boy.

What was the last song you heard? Old MacDonald Had a Farm

What are you doing while working on this game? Alternating between working and trying to put my son down for his nap.

Favourite nickname - The one my husband uses, which I will not repeat here :)

What kind of person are you? - An impatient one. I'm all for efficiency and can't stand red tape or incompetent people. I have few friends, but those I do have are good ones whose relationships I truly value. I'm quite practical and love a good bargain. I've learned that having few good quality things is far better than dozens of cheap ones, so my closet is not like the average woman's and contains less than two dozen pairs of shoes. I try to live life without any regrets.

Favourite song - Top 3 - Prince, When Doves Cry, Dire Straits' Your Latest Trick and The Cure's Love Cats.

Favourite food - Chocolate and raw fish. I can eat sashimi every day.

Most stressful thing for me - Juggling work, family and worrying about finances

3 Items that must be in my purse - Wet wipes, wallet and keys. Mobile phone instead of wet wipes if I'm not with my son.

Favourite colour/s - neutrals

Not-yet fulfilled dream - having a book published

Favourite city - London, if it wasn't so bloody expensive to live there.

Since I do not know how to tag anyone, I hope the few people who read this blog will consider themselves tagged.

Busy Busy

Another month has just flown by, and I have found little time to write the things I've wanted to post about. Ah, well, such is life and a working mother's priorities.

The past few weeks have been crazy, and I've survived by reducing my number of sleeping hours per night to 5. I actually forgot to pay my au pair and day girl last payday, and only realized this when they had to ask my husband for money for their twice-monthly market trip.

A Day in My Life before mid-November:

8am - Wake up, read paper while Little A plays, check email, make work calls, have breakfast, do laundry if Monday or Thursday

10am - Off to the supermarket, bank, Gymboree or whatever set of errands need doing, usually with Little A in tow.

1pm - Home for lunch and Little A's nap. Time online, working and surfing.

Afternoon - meetings if there are any, more errands if needed, snack time for Little A and more play. Reading time for me if he has a long nap.

730pm - Dinner, bathtime then downtime until bed.

1030pm - Lights out

12pm - Everyone usually sleeps

A Day in My Life since mid-November:

630am - Wake up with Little A, turn on laptop, answer emails, pay bills online, make calls. Do laundry if I have time to load the washing machine or laundry pile threatens to overwhelm the flat. Ignore newspaper. Have a quick breakfast when I can squeeze it in in time to -

1030am - Take Little A to preschool if Tuesday or Thursday, otherwise off to the mall to open the store if needed, or do errands or have meetings. When we are faced with imminent starvation, go to the supermarket and race through the aisles throwing things into the shopping trolley while simultaneously texting suppliers or work partners and making calls.

1pm - Drop Little A off at home for lunch and nap, head to the store to put in a few hours training and overseeing the staff, interviewing new applicants, handling all the admin work, dealing with both the mall management and customers and doing all sorts of retail business things without once sitting down, until -

730pm - Home for dinner and to see my son, who by this time thinks he has done something horrible and is being punished by not being able to see his mother. Watch Little A play or eat while frantically answering emails, printing reports and the like. (The laptop and printer now live permanently on the dining room table). Perhaps get to play with him for 10 straight minutes if I'm lucky.

830pm - Back to the mall to close the store if needed. Otherwise, bathe Little A and go back to paperwork, as the inventory updating is even worse than laundry pile.

1030pm - Lights out. Shut Big and Little A in the bedroom and continue work, or pay bills online, make Christmas lists, organise presents etc. Spend half an hour putting Little A to sleep, then sneak back out to the laptop.

1am - Turn off lights, pack away whatever messes Little A has left in his room and the living and dining room. Shower and fall asleep with hair soaking wet.

Somehow on paper it looks less hectic than it actually is. Maybe I'm missing something out. Don't have time to think about what it is. Little A is down for his nap and I've got to man the store now.

Frequent Traveler

I am amazed at how some mothers can blog so frequently. Just looking after my one child, keeping our small flat in order and having partial charge of a new business venture leaves me with little time to eat, sleep and even breathe. Still, all work and no play makes Jill a dull girl and Jill's toddler and husband sad people, so time must be alloted for "recreation."

With a trip to Hong Kong that needed to be taken before mid-November, (originally scheduled for a trade fair some months ago, the sudden onset of H1N1 worldwide required a postponement of a trip booked on what should have been non-rebookable, nonrefundable tickets) we found ourselves airport-bound for Little A's 5th overseas adventure.

Since he was born in July 2007, our son has been to Hong Kong twice a year. Two October journeys were Big A's business trips that we tagged along on, and the January trips were family ones for my parents' wedding anniversary and Chinese New Year, respectively. This one was partly work for me, and partly a nice break.

This trip also marked a couple of firsts for our little family. It was the first trip taken after Little A was completely weaned and since he decided to stop wearing nappies completely. With visions of wet pants dancing in my head, I packed three sets of trousers and shorts and a couple of nappies just in case, plus his favourite non-spill sippy cup, an assortment of books, and an entire box of his favourite biscuits for a half-hour car ride, two hour airport wait, two hour plane trip, half-hour train ride and ten minute taxi.

Amazingly, Little A did not have a single wee accident the entire 3-day trip. While at home he had to be taken to the toilet periodically or he would pee on the floor, all throughout the long weekend he would indicate when he needed to go, or go to the toilet himself and pull his shorts down and wait for someone to lift him up to reach the seat.

I was overjoyed. Perhaps it was the layout of the hotel bathroom, or the blue water in the loo (the toilets in the hotel were treated with disinfectant that turned the water bright blue), or even the fact that there were less distractions in the form of toys, videos and the like. Whatever it was, I was the proudest mum on earth.

Apart from the toilet training, Little A was perfectly behaved on the aeroplane both ways. He sat quietly in his seat, watched his Mickey Mouse videos, read his books and ate his snacks. Granted, the flights were short and he did do his share of sprinting in the airport and on the train into Hong Kong city, where he refused to sit anywhere but the luggage rack. Still, we were expecting much worse and were pleasantly surprised.

We have been back home a week now, and apart from one accident the night we arrived and another the next day when his nanny didn't take him to the toilet in time, Little A has kept his pants dry. He still needs to be taken to the loo every couple of hours, but I am hoping that soon he will be just like he was in Hong Kong and walk to the bathroom himself when he needs to go. Next week he will do a trial class at preschool. If that goes well, he will start attending twice weekly sessions. My little boy is not so little any more.