Mom Doubts

Every time I hit the end of my patience with the toddler and he's dancing on my very last nerve, I tell myself to just breathe. Then I get back to enforcing the rules and boundaries of what he can and cannot do because that's part of my job as his mom. That's in addition to looking after his general well-being, kissing away boo-boos and being his potty assistant.

I'm still learning to let go on certain things, have to remember that the toddler is another human being with his own thoughts, needs and wants. I'm older and wiser (hello Sound of Music reference) so it's up to me to keep him from inadvertently killing himself by falling into the koi pond or sticking his fingers in the electrical socket but all non-lethal activities are open for discussion and compromise.

Just last month, I was tearing my hair out with his changing sleep pattern as he started switching from one nap a day to a nap every other day or two. This was in addition to it being a stressful period of time for me personally with the anniversary of a loved one's death coming up. I was having trouble dealing with his changing nap on top of his erratic eating patterns and the usual evening battle to get him into the shower and wash his hair. I don't even want to talk about getting him to brush his teeth.

Today we were visiting my uncle. As evening rolled around, it was time for the toddler to take a bath and he was using every trick in the book to delay it. It had been a long day visiting a friend in the afternoon then dinner at my uncle's and my patience snapped. I told him that if he didn't take a shower (after a full day of running around in our lovely humid tropical heat and sweating up a storm) then he could either stay at my uncle's home because I did not want him or he can sleep on the floor at home because I would not allow his grimy body in the family bed.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. I had told him that I 'did not want him' and I swore never to do that. I was a horrible mother.

Times like this, I start to doubt my ability as a mom. Am I doing things right? What could I do to improve the way I parent? Am I scarring my son for life?

Pantone and Retro

Saw these at Robinsons in Jem (Jurong East Mall) and really liked the whole retro, bold colour look so I took some photos as an inspiration.

Retro phones at not-so-retro prices.

Like the red one

I think this one was $119

The payphone was awesome, I loved it! Then thought about it and figured it would not be practical. A cordless phone is really the most practical option, but it's still nice to look at these.

Toddler was yakking away into the handset

There was a collection of bold pantone colours on various pieces of furniture that I liked. Bold, clean colours.

Pantone colours

Family Bathroom at Jem (Jurong East Mall)

I don't normally do this but I was really impressed by the family bathroom at Jem today. It was clean, well lit and stocked with paper towels. I know it's not environmentally friendly, but paper towels make it so much easier to dry off my toddler's hands!

The toddler loves playing with water, yet hates his baths

I love that the bathroom is set up to handle families with more than one kid. So if I had two kids and we were at the mall, I could put toddler in the seat while I get baby changed at the changing station. And both are in view at all times being right next to each other.

Changing station and toddler seat

Look carefully at the picture below, towards the right side there's paper towels in the holder! I had to take a picture of it, it's a rare sight here.

And he's still busy washing his hands while I snap photos

Unfortunately there was a surprise in the closed adult toilet. I guess the flush was not working today and there was a bunch of tissues and poo left behind by the previous mall-goer.

Toilets to cater for adults and children

Unexpected surprise aside, I think this family bathroom beats the one at Raffles City. I was in the Raffles City basement a couple days ago and saw that they are either building another family bathroom or moving the existing family bathroom to the busy walkway near Gong Cha. I'm definitely checking that out when it is completed.

Fur

The oddest things can trigger a memory. Today I was hanging up some clothes in the closet and caught sight of an old shirt that has not been washed since before my dog, Lavander, passed away. It had her fur all over it and made me think of her again.

Back then, most of my clothes had her fur on them, simply because she was always near me.

Yishun Greenwalk - The Beginning

We applied for a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat in Yishun years ago.

Well, ok not YEARS ago, it was in 2010. We had been applying for various BTO's before then but were not lucky enough to get one. There was a real housing crunch and there weren't enough flats for the growing population. So when we received the HDB letter saying that we were being given a chance to select a unit at Yishun Greenwalk, I was ecstatic. Doubly so since I was also expecting toddler E and I did not want to live with the in-laws forever. Don't get me wrong, the in-laws are great but I like having my own space.

So here are the floor plans:

We selected a 5-room unit (blue floor plan) because the extra space would be nice to have with toddler E running around.

I follow a Facebook page set up by a kind soul who's been taking weekly photos of the construction site to share. This saves me making a physical trip down to the area to have a look at the progress and right now almost all the blocks are complete and some have even been painted. I read that we could potentially get our keys at the end of this year (2013) and that has spurred me on to research how I would like my kitchen to be. The husband is in charge of the rest but the kitchen is my domain.

All I know right now is that I would like to have an undermount stainless steel sink. But, I also know that it will be more expensive than a drop-in sink. I also need to start thinking about what type of counter top (quartz vs granite and a host of other choices), cabinets, faucets etc.

I'm excited!