Parenting SOS : 31 Biblical Virtues to pray for your kids ( with printable)

We have tons of good times parenting the kids. But not less some bad moments.
Some days were just desperate... such as when they are just naughty because it is their job to be naughty. C'mon, they are kids...


Some days were so desperate...
like when she intentionally peed on my childhood photo album.
like when he screamed and told me he hates me.
like when he just said he would throw away his sister.
like when.... bla bla bla..

One day an auntie come from Singapore and gave me a small card titled "31 Biblical Virtues to pray for your kids". So one virtue per day.

The first time I use this card is when Number One and Number Two were fighting with each other without a definite cause, saying unkind words.
I said, "Please, dont say mean words. How would you feel if I say mean words to you?"
They immediately changed their language to blabbering, bitching to each other.
i was like... what?? (do you quarrel for the sake of quarrelling itself?)
And he hit her. She screamed the house down. He yelled back.
i was so mad but don't know who to scold.

So I went to an empty room, start to pray. I pulled out this card and start to read it. Number One came in and asking me, "What are you doing Mama?"

"I am praying for you and your sister and brother, Son."

I started to read this card out loud, from number 1 to number 31.
He sit down quietly and listened.
Halfway he went out to find his sister.

I finished the prayer to the sight that both of them playing together lovingly, friendly, and peacefully.

Hmmm, it must be the power of Prayer...

So here, a printable card for you too...

Shalom, Alice

KidzActs : Kiddie Selfie

Kadang-kadang mereka selfie sendiri.

xoxoxoxoxo

Alice

Air Minum dalam kemasan yang disarankan

Air minum paling bersih di pasaran. Karena tds nya kecil, kalau perlu 0.
Mengingat merek beken a**a saja tds nya 60-80.

Saya suka yang orange...

random post for today.. murky water

a blogger without a reliable internet is like a fish in a murky water.

i am a mother of 3, a cook, a driver, a nutritionist, a teacher by training.

here, squishifishi. the picture i promise you.

brgds
liz

the useless things that we buy #1 : the teeth

So we have a few amusing things that we acquire and keep at home.
Mostly useless. Like this one.

One day, Number One insist that he want this toy. So much that he traded it with his chance of eating an ice cream.
Only discovering at home that this toy is not what he expected, he expected it to be battery operated and can clack-clack-clack like talking, then he never touched it again.

introducing..... tada!!!

A Dental Model....

Mwahahahaha

Bought in Toys Kingdom for 60.000 rupiah.
Anybody interested?
I would give it for free, and if you are in Indonesia I will send it to you at my cost, anywhere in Indonesia.
I figure it will be more useful in other owner's hands.

Sometimes I can not contain my amusement when I see these teeth.

Wednesday Quote #1 : When I am afraid...

I got this from a friend. Very true indeed...

I am thinking of having this friend to make a guest appearance in this blog.

Little shoes

Just for a little memory...
How fast kids grow.




When I received these cute Zara kids shoes as a gift, it was still too big and loose for Number Three. 

 

Then we went for a one month holiday in Bali.
When we come back, bam, his feet grows so big they couldn't fit in these shoes anymore.

So I end up gifting it to another friend.
Coz what we do with Usd 50 baby shoes, in mint condition, if not to bring joy to another little person?


On another note, Number Three also has learned walking in Bali. We put him on the beach, it was comic to see how he squealed in astonishment, part excitement and part disgust, when he first felt sand under his feet. 
After a few times playing on the beach, he started crawling, standing up and walking. And suddenly he is walking very steady and fast already !!!

I have not updated my dayre and blogs much, coz i had some issues with my internet, which just been cleared. Also I have been  enjoying the kids to the max, coz i don't want to lose the moments... and i have lost lots of photo taking opportunities due to my indulgence.

Carpe Diem

Liz

Today I lost my temper...

It is said that kids not only need nutritious foods, but also nutrients for their souls. Kind words, patience, etc...

Yeah, theory... Theory... Theory.

This morning I lost it when I was talking to the house assistant demanding to know why the cough syrup is stored next to the Clorox and other cleaning agents, and suddenly Number One jumped on my back nearly tripping me backward. 

It is not even the one hundredth time I was telling him to not do it.

I totally lost it and swore all kinds of profanity. 

I can see that my words were like bad assault attacking his heart and soul and left an immediate imprint, as he had never seen me this furious before. 

I felt good, just for one microsecond. Then I felt very tired, and beyond sad that I start to cry. 

For the hundred millionth time I explained to him why he should not physically just jump on someone. Be it his family members, friends or especially maids.

Then he started to cry too. Seeing me crying. 

I don't know... Maybe I should take a break from being a mom?

Updated on 22 Sept 2014

So I was so pissed that whole day that after picking up the kids from school and feeding them, i decided to just drop them at home and i would go somewhere.
Number One tried to be very very nice to me  but refused to get off the car, despite my constant yapping and yipping. So no choice i drove to a nice mall lah to run my errands.
He tried to build a conversation with me. I wouldnt talk much.

I went to Sephora to buy my much needed sunblock. Instead also buying brushes, foundation and concealer, on top of the sunblock.
Warning : shopping while angry is not good for your wallet.

But... the saying that "SHOPPING IS THE BEST THERAPY" is true to the very core.
After shopping, the temperature in my head suddenly cool down.
Number One said, "I am hungry, Mama."
I said, "Wait, I am browsing first." and entered Victoria's Secret boutique. Just to come out 5 minutes later with the mood significantly improved, smelling the nice smell of the stores.

I took him to eat in Ohlala cafe. And he ate one whole spinach quiche by himself. We talked small talks. He read the menu, I am impressed that he could read (a bit).

We walked out the mall holding hands...relaxed, chatting and good as ever, as if nothing happened in that morning.
 

Helloooo...

Just to let y'all know I am still alive.

Here is a motivational quote..

photo courtesy : Brian Tracy

Godspeed, everyone..

Liz

DIY breast pump hands free adapter

Hi stranger....

I do not apologize for the lack of update. Hahaha... Bad blogger I am.

 ----- Have you missed us already ? ---

We had summer holiday due to long school holiday. Also the Hari Raya was coming so we were mad busy.

To make it up, here is long overdue tutorial. 

How to make breast pumping hands free adapter.

Breast pumping sucks... You feel like a cow. But we love our kids, right? So like it or not we keep pumping, yeah?

In order to make it a better experience, I distracted myself with many activities. Like reading news... Putting on some make ups while pumping... Bbm ... Chatting.... Blogging, anyone?

But wait... Do you hold your smartphone with your toes? 

Of course not...

And I don't spend much money on those adapter/connector as well. We make do with what we have lah...

This tutorial is available on YouTube by another person but I forgot whom. It has been a while. So I credit her for this idea. 

In order to make the adapter you will need 4 rubber bands. 2 for each flange. 

And I won't explain much in words here coz the pictures are self explanatory.

Geddit? 

Now go make one. 

I hope this tutorial is useful for you.

Love from mamaland,

Liz

KidzActs #8 : Captain America (again)

Obviously driving safety is absolutely important. Number One sometimes liked to move aft and rear inside the car when the travel got too long. And that is not good.

Trying to educate him on law enforcement, I told him that I (the driver of the car) will be stopped by a police because of unsafe driving and may be jailed.  He would return to the seat and sit there... for 5 minute max.
Then he asked me, "Can I move yet now? Do they still have the police outside?"

I said, everywhere we have a police, to serve and protect.
Where? He asked.
My answer : In the whole Indonesia we have policemen.
Where? He asked again. "Do they have policemen in America? Canada?"
Me : Sure...
Number One : I know who it is...
Me : Who?
Number One :... Captain America.

Hahaha

love, Liz

KidzActs #7 : someone is here..

This post first published in dayre.me/inmamaland


Sat, 14 Jun 2014

Day 165 :

0    0

It was 9 pm, Number One was standing in a darkened bedroom.

And suddenly he said seriously, "Papa. There is someone at the corner."

The first thought that flash in my mind : thief!
The first thought in husband's: ghost!

 "Who?" His father asked cautiously, ready for any thing that may come.
.
.
.
.
.

"Captain America." He said.

awww kiddo, you have no idea that you have made us scared (a bit).


*/--

i am dayre.me/inmamaland

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This is a repost.

find me : dayre.me/inmamaland

Mon, 16 Jun 2014

Day 167

0    0

I wonder which date this one will post.

Found some kaya jam this morning ... yum... so I spread thickly on my toast.

Niceee....

Until I taste something a little sour on my bread.
Has my bread gone stall?
I dont care. It is a 2 days old bread. Should be no problem...
But after eating a few more (big) bites, it tastes more and more awful.

Could it be the Kaya jam?..

Yeah it is..

The jam has partly gone bad.

Awww... after thinking for a while I regretfully throw them away. 3/4 of the bread was already eaten.

Now, 1 hour later, I still feel queasiness and yuckiness at the back of my tongue.

“So old already but still behaving like this”

I feel like kicking my own butt for being so cuai and eating expired food.

 

---------------

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Saving money : bake your own birthday cake

Since we have time, and not as much money.. we bake our own birthday cakes.

Cake is two layers of White Cake from All recipes.
Butter, sugar, flour, organic eggs costing me less than usd 2
Butter cream cost around usd 2
A tub of organic strawberry costs usd 1
The fabulous edible image cost me usd 5
And usd 1.5 for the courier to collect the image.
Oh ya... box for transporting the cake is usd 1.
All is usd 12.5

While such cake can easily sell for usd 40

Not bad huh?
And it is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

not bad for the second cake effort huh?

edible Image makes all the difference.

my first cake in May this year super ugly.

this cost even less. Like usd 5 only?

I am planning another birthday by now...

My week in pictures: second week of june 2014

Kids riding the bike

Not too bad, Number One...

Doing some hairstyling...

Vroom.. Vroom...

Waterfun... Number Three so big now...

Twas a fun week. Enjoy while you small, kiddos...

Princess Ballerina

Happy Mother's Day from Number One

Happy Mother's Day (late)

What is happening

Mom... che che takes my pacifier

What is happening #2

Number Two is talking to Number Three.  She wears her pants front side back...

KidzActs #6 : God is here.

Although we are Christians, our kids do not go to Christian school.
I was in awe (of his intelligence) and just realized that I may have inadequately instill christianity in them, after this incident happened.

I took Number One to go to an Adoration to the Holy Sacrament. It was the first time for him.
So the pastor said, "Feel the presence of the Lord. He is here with us."
Number One curiosly looked around. "Where? Where?"
When he found no physical being of God, he pressed me further. "Where is Lord Jesus,  ma?"
Actually he is enthusiastic to the idea of meeting Jesus.

I could not answer him. Because it is quite an abstract concept. I don't know how to explain.

Then the pastor said, "Get into your inner being and feel the presence of the Lord in your heart.... Let Him enter your hearts."

Number One was not satisfied with my slow response. "Where is God, Ma?"

Inspired by the pastor I said, "inside our heart, son. He is in our heart."

He kept quiet for a few seconds. "How?" He asked.

"Excuse me?" I was quite puzzled.

"How did he get into our hearts?"

Well it is quite philosophical.  So I answered the simplest that I could. "We hear the bible, it is the words of God. We think about it and we keep it in our heart."

He looked amazed. And puzzled at the same time.
Then he fire a question again.
"Do you mean Jesus is as small as an ant that he could climb inside our ears and enter our hearts?"

OMG...
Lord help me. Parenting is not easy.

KidzActs #5 : The fruit falls not far from the tree.

While trying to teach my kids as much as possible on school subjects myself, there are a few stuff I couldn't teach. So I sent Number One to tuition.

Initially he refused. After attending the class he found it quite enjoyable. The teacher really can teach nicely and engaged his attention.

"See, son. It was not that bad, right?"
He nodded. "But ma, why is the teacher face a bit ugly?"

Eeeeek... I almost faint. Especially because the said question popped merely 3 meters from the teacher's front door.

So I whispered to him the politically correct answer: people are created not equal. Some are tall, some are short. Some pretty,  some not so. That is the goodness of God's creation.

When I told DH about it, he bursted out laughing. 
He said, "The fruit falls not far from the tree. "

Renewing a Driver license in Jakarta

Very efficient. Less than 30 minutes. Provided you have no criminal record and already had a license in the past.

Total cost 145.000

No hanky panky.

Kudos to Polri for the improvement.

Love, liz

My week in photos #9 2014

Here is my week 9 in photos

Typical scenes of these evenings...

My Phil & Teds double buggy stroller finally arrived

number Three sitting up so straight.

Number Two enjoying her encyclopedia with Walter Pen.

Three of them really like the buggy stroller. Went to the mall... 

jamie Oliver's lasagna. Jamieshomecookingskillchallenge#1

As I said I kind of started learning cooking. My cooking skill was non existent.

I am known to burn water, cook plain prepackaged pudding, and super salty inedible fish.

How do we manage the last 9 years I have been married?

Hehehe.. Here in Indonesia we are blessed with abundance of human resources to work as domestic helper. They cook. 

But deep down I know, I must start learning properly. And now is the time.

So here is my first attempt from Jamie's recipe. 

It was delicious.

I won't be posting its recipe coz you must get it yourself from his website here.

Come, join Jamie's cooking school too!

Love, Liz

My new year resolution 2014

Isn't it a bit too late? Better late than never, no?

Here is my 2014 to do list:

1. Learn cooking from my British Master Jamie Oliver. Heheheh... Basically autodidact,but he provided very comprehensive guidance in www.jamieshomecookingskill.com. Very recommended.

2. Find some other cooking masters to learn from.

3. Learning furniture making.

4. Improve my sewing.

Other than that...sailing through 2014 with the whole family healthy, well and lucky. 

Sitting and...

I told you how fast time flies. Just a few days ago I took this picture of Number Three sitting for the first time.

And this morning he starts crawling.

My medicine: Toplexil syrup

Toplexil syrup.  Cough medicine.

Work. Every. time. Since I was a child.

Keeping the label here for my easy reference.

So not to overdose